I 


•ah 

v^ 


1*1   -«4 


«WI 

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THE  LITTLE  KING 





~l 


On  Christmas  mornings  he  was  compelled  to  sit  up  in  his  great  bed 
of  state,  while  gorgeous  courtiers  knelt  beside  him  offering  rich 
gifts. 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


A  Story  of  the 

Childhood  of  Louis 

King  of  France 


By 

Charles  Major 

Author  of  "When  Knighthood  was  in  Flower",  "Dorothy  Vernon' 
"The  Bears  of  Blue  River",  etc. 


M.  A.  DONOHUE  &  COMPANY 

CHICAGO  NEW  YORK 


PRINTED    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES    OT    AMERICA. 


COPYRIGHT,  iyio, 
BY  THE  ILLUSTRATED  SUNDAY  MAGAZINE. 

COPYRIGHT,    1909  AND    igiO, 

BY  THE  CURTIS  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 

COPYRIGHT,  1910, 
BY  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.     Published  Norember,  1910.     Reprintei 
September,  1915. 


Co  £@P  Wife 


S13721S 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PACK 

I.    How  Christmas  Came  to  The  Little  King          .        .  3 

II.     Sweet  Mam'selle's  Rosary 39 

III.  Two  Smiles  and  a  Duel 70 

IV.  The  Little  King  Lost  in  Paris          ....  zoo 

LA    SAINTE    CROIX 

V.    A  Jew  Three  Thousand  Years  Old    ....  137 

VI.    The  Old  Cloister  House 157 

VII.    The   King    and    The   Jew           .        ....  383 

VIII.    Black  Magic 206 

IX.    Blackest  Magic 339 


vii 


CHAPTER   I 


THE   Little    King,    destined   to   become   the 
great  King,   Louis  Le  Grand,   of  France, 
had   always   found   Christmas   a   dull   day. 
Even  at  the  age  of  eight  he  had  begun  to  realize 
that    every    day    was    dull,    and    though    he    had 
heard   a   great  deal  about  the   joys   of  Christmas, 
he    had    found    it    the    dullest    of    them    all,    and 
did  not  understand  why  other  folks  pretended  to 
love   it. 

On  Christmas  mornings  he  was  compelled  to 
sit  up  in  his  great  bed  of  state,  while  gorgeous 
courtiers  knelt  beside  him  offering  rich  gifts  for 
which  he  did  not  care  a  fig.  After  breakfast, 
to  mass,  which  was  easily  endured,  because  every 
one  remained  quiet  and  the  low,  rolling  voice 

3 


4  THE  LITTLE  KING 

of  the  priest  was  soothing.  But  after  mass  he 
had  to  sit  in  stiff,  insufferable  robes  while  gifts 
of  which  he  knew  nothing  were  distributed  in 
his  name  to  courtiers  for  whom  he  cared  nothing. 

After  the  distribution  of  the  presents,  the  tired 
Little  King  stood  on  the  royal  dais  in  one  of 
the  state  chambers  receiving  guests  till  near  noon, 
when  he  dined  in  solitary  grandeur.  Christmas 
Days  to  the  Little  King  were  but  blurred  mem- 
ories of  a  desire  to  cry,  suppressed  only  by 
almost  superchildish  effort. 

Every  day — Christmas  included — the  King  had 
a  few  hours  of  rest  after  dinner.  Usually  this 
lax  time  was  devoted  to  a  nap  in  his  private 
bedroom  adjoining  the  boudoir  of  his  nurse,  the 
Sweet  Mam'selle,  a  name  the  King  had  given  her 
and  by  which  she  was  known  throughout  the  court. 

Frequently  on  pleasant  days,  after  his  nap,  the 
King  went  with  his  nurse  to  walk  in  the  little 
hedged  garden  beneath  his  window,  set  apart  in 
the  beautiful  court  of  the  Palais  Royal  for  the 
King's  exclusive  use. 

One  day  Sweet  Mam'selle  opened  a  private 
door  called  the  King's  Postern,  to  which  she  car- 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS  5 

ried  the  key,  and  the  two  passed  through  a 
tunnel-like  hallway,  unlocked  the  outer  door  and 
were  in  the  street.  That  was  a  glorious  adven- 
ture for  the  Little  King,  and  afterwards,  when 
he  felt  tired  and  blue,  and  life  seemed  a  failure, 
he  would  say: 

"Let  us  go  out  into  the  street,  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle." 

But  it  was  a  delight  seldom  to  be  enjoyed.  If 
the  Queen  Regent  or  Cardinal  Mazarin  were  to 
learn  that  Mam'selle  had  exposed  the  King  to 
the  gaze  and  mayhap  the  touch  of  the  common 
people  on  the  street,  she  would  surely  receive  a 
reprimand,  probably  would  be  dismissed  and  might 
be  imprisoned.  But  the  Little  King's  unhappiness 
was  so  real,  and  his  joy  in  these  excursions  was 
so  keen  that  Sweet  Mam'selle  could  not  always 
resist  the  child's  pleadings. 

On  a  certain  Christmas  Day,  the  eighth  year 
of  the  Little  King's  life  and  the  third  of  his 
reign,  his  royal  duties  seemed  especially  irksome, 
and  when  dinner  was  finished,  he  hurried  with 
Sweet  Mam'selle  to  his  bedroom,  longing  above 
all  things  to  give  vent  to  his  weariness  in  tears. 


6  THE  LITTLE  KING 

But  he  was  a  manly,  kingly  little  fellow,  sedate 
and  thoughtful  beyond  his  years,  so  he  held  back 
his  tears,  as  a  real  king  should,  and  bore  his 
troubles  stolidly,  as  a  real  man  will. 

With  Sweet  Mam'selle's  help  the  stiff  brocades, 
the  rare  laces  and  the  costly  jewels  fell  from  the 
Little  King  to  the  floor,  and  he  lay  down  on  his 
low,  soft  bed  for  a  nap.  Mam'selle,  busy  with 
her  needlework,  stood  leaning  against  the  window 
shelf;  for  no  one  in  France  save  the  Queen 
Mother  was  permitted  to  sit  in  the  King's 
presence. 

Presently  Mam'selle  heard  a  sob,  and  turning 
toward  the  King,  saw  him  sitting  on  the  edge 
of  the  bed.  Drowsiness  had  broken  the  back  of 
kingliness;  so  exercising  a  tired  child's  privilege, 
Louis  XIV  was  whimpering  softly,  pathetically. 

Mam'selle  ran  to  the  dais  and  knelt  beside 
the  King,  who  put  his  arm  about  her  neck,  rested 
his  cheek  against  hers,  and  enjoyed  the  luxury 
of  a  good  cry.  What  the  King  needed  above 
all  else  was  a  mother,  but  Anne  of  Austria's 
motherhood  consisted  chiefly  of  title.  Fortunately 
Mam'selle  was  a  sweet  and  loving  substitute,  but 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS  7 

there  is  no  place  where  a  child  can  be  so  delight- 
fully miserable  as  on  his  mother's  breast. 

"What  is  it,  my  King?"  asked  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle,  tenderly. 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  the  Little  King.  "I 
just  want  to — to  cry.  I — I  don't  want  to  stay 
here.  Isn't  there  some  place  we  can  go?  I'm 
so  tired." 

"Yes,  yes,  my  King.  I  know,  I  know,"  whis- 
pered Sweet  Mam'selle,  caressingly.  Her  sym- 
pathy of  course  set  the  tears  flowing  afresh  and 
soon  her  eyes,  too,  were  moist. 

The  King,  seeing  Mam'selle's  tears,  brushed 
them  away  with  his  hand,  saying: 

"Are  you,    too,    tired,   Sweet   Mam'selle?" 

"No,  no,  my  King.  I  weep  because  you  are 
tired.  Because  you  are  denied  the  divine  right 
of  being  a  child.  My  poor  King!  My  sweet 
King!" 

"Then  we  are  both  unhappy  when  I'm  un- 
happy?" asked  the  King,  brushing  away  his  own 
tears  in  a  desire  to  save  Mam'selle, 

"Yes,  yes,  my  sweet  King.  I  am  unhappy 
because  you — because  you — " 


8  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"But  I  am  the  King.  I  am  Louis  XIV," 
interrupted  the  Little  King,  trying  with  poor 
success  to  stay  his  sobs  and  to  live  up  to  the 
demands  of  royalty. 

After  a  minute  or  two  of  silence,  a  smile  broke 
through  the  royal  tears,  as  the  sun  shines  through 
an  April  shower,  and  a  fair  bow  of  promise 
lighted  up  the  Little  King's  sorrowful  face. 

"I  know  how  we  may  both  be  happy!"  he 
cried,  clapping  his  hands  delightedly. 

"How,   my    King?"    asked   Sweet   Mam'selle. 

"Let   us   go   to  the   garden,   and  when   no   one 

is   watching,    we'll   escape   through  the   little   door 

and  go  for  a  walk.     We'll  walk  'way  down  past 

the    Louvre — 'way,    'way    further    than    we    have 

ever  gone,   Sweet   Mam'selle;   oh,   so   far,  because 

this   has  been   such   a   hard   Christmas   Day;    and 

oh,    Sweet    Mam'selle,    we'll   go    over   where    the 

poor    people    live.     Of    course    we    dare    not    go 

down    among    the    shops.     That    would    be    too 

much   for   a   Little    King   to    expect.     But   maybe 

we  can  go  as  far  as  the  river,  the  dark,   murky, 

beautiful    river   back    of    Notre    Dame    where   so 

many  poor  people   live.     Oh,   come,   come,   Sweet 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS  9 

Mam'selle!  Oh,  I  love  you  so  dearly!"  He 
kissed  her  tenderly  by  way  of  bribe  and  continued 
rapidly:  "Fetch  me  my  plainest,  darkest  suit,  and 
after  all,  this  Christmas  Day  won't  be  so — so  horrid.'* 

"Oh,  I  dare  not,  I  dare  not,"  answered  Mam- 
'selle, pleadingly. 

"Oh,  please,  Sweet  Mam'selle.  You  are  so 
beautiful  and  so  good.  There  now,  I  kiss  your 
eyes  to  stop  the  tears.  I  did  try  so  hard  to  be 
good  all  morning." 

"Yes,  yes,  my  King,  you  were  good.  You 
were  perfect — a  perfect  King.  But  I  dare  not 
take  you  to  walk  in  the  street  to-day." 

"Please,  Sweet  Mam'selle.  I  am  the  King 
and  I  might  say  'You  shall  take  me,  Mam'selle.* 
But  I  love  you  so  dearly  that  I  say  'Please  take 
me,  Sweet  Mam'selle.'  Oh,  I  do  so  want  to  go, 
for  I  am  so  tired.  Your  King  kneels  to  you, 
Sweet  Mam'selle,  and  begs — " 

The  Little  King  fell  to  his  knees  beside  her 
and  Mam'selle,  frightened  at  the  thought  of 
kneeling  royalty,  exclaimed: 

"Rise,  my  King,  rise!  You  must  kneel  to 
none  but  Godl" 


io  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"I'll  not  rise  till  you  promise  to  take  me  t( 
the  river,"  answered  the  King,  pleadingly  thougl 
defiantly. 

Mam'selle  could  resist  no  longer,  so  sb 
said: 

"I'll  take  you,   my  King,   if  I  die  for  it." 

So  amid  a  great  deal  of  suppressed  laughter 
hushed  whispering  and  joyous  dancing,  the  Lit 
tie  King  donned  his  plainest  suit  and  Mam 
'selle,  going  to  her  boudoir  put  on  her  plaines 
gown. 

When  both  were  ready,  and  very  nervous 
Mam'selle  unlocked  the  door,  at  the  top  of  th< 
narrow  stairway  leading  to  the  King's  garden  anc 
the  adventurers  hurried  down.  Softly  the  outei 
door  was  opened;  still  more  softly  they  rar 
toward  the  King's  Postern,  seeking  the  cover  oi 
the  evergreens  and  hedges  as  they  went.  With 
beating  hearts  they  opened  the  little  door  with 
Mam'selle's  magic  key,  and  hurried  through  the 
dark,  narrow  hallway  to  the  street  door.  Ther 
followed  the  thrilling  moment  of  escape  and  n 
delicious  breath  of  the  sweet  street  air. 

The    Little    King    wanted    to    do    something    tc 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS 


ii 


express  his  joy,  but  his  whole  life  had  been  so 
artificial  that  he  did  not  know  how.  Had  he 
been  "just  boy"  he  would  have  known  that  his 
longing  was  nature  calling  him  to  shout,  to  run, 
to  jump  and  to  walk  in  the  mud,  where  he 
might  accumulate 
enough  sweet  luxurious 
dirt  to  drive  his  mother 
— if  he  had  had  a  real'''! 
one — temporarily  wild. 
But  cruel  fate  had  de- 
nied him  the  sweet 
knowledge  of  things 
that  are  really  worth 
while  doing  and  he  was 
forced  to  content  him- 

•™  •• 

self  with  clinging  to  Mam'selle's  hand,  skipping 
in  a  stiff  kingly  fashion  by  her  side  and  draw- 
ing in  great  breaths  of  the  sweet  forbidden  air. 
Mam'selle  hugged  the  wall  of  the  Palais  Royal 
and  hurried  across  the  open  space  between  the 
Louvre  and  the  Garden  of  the  Tuileries.  When 
they  reached  the  street,  since  called  Quai  du 
Louvre,  they  turned  and  walked  close  to  the  wall 


12  THE  LITTLE  KING 

of  the  Louvre  until  they  reached  the  lower  end 
of  the  long  palace.  Then  she  said: 

"Shall  we   turn  back,   my   King?" 

"No,  no,"  pleaded  little  Majesty.  "You  prom- 
ised to  take  me  to  the  river  and  perhaps  down 
the  rivage  a  little  way — down  back  of  Notre 
Dame  where  the  poor  people  live." 

"Alas,  the  poor  people  live  everywhere  in 
Paris,  my  King,"  she  answered.  "But  I  did  not 
promise  to  take  you  to  the  river.  I — " 

"You  did  promise,  Mam'selle,"  returned  the 
King,  with  an  amusing  touch  of  kingly  anger. 
"You  did  promise  and  for  you  to  say  that  you 
did  not  is  to  contradict  your  King.  That  would 
be  a  sin  and  would  make  most  kings  angry.  But 
I  am  a  good  king  and  I  love  you,  so  if  you 
promise  never  to  do  so  again,  I'll  forgive  you." 

Mam'selle  smiled  and  drew  the  King  to  her 
side.  "If  I  did  promise,  my  King — " 

"If?"  cried  the  King.  "That  is  as  much  as 
to  say  that  the  King  did  not  tell  the  truth  when 
he  said  you  did  promise.  It  is  well  for  you, 
Mam'selle,  that  I  am  a  good  king  and  that  I 
love  you  so  dearly." 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS          13 

Mam'selle  had  to  shape  another  course  in  sail- 
ing through  the  winding  channels  and  between 
the  rocks  and  shoals  of  royal  whims  and  priv- 
ileges. 

"Then  I  shall  say — 'though  I  did  make  the 
promise,'  my  King,  I  must  not  keep  it.  We  must 
turn  back." 

"I've  always  thought  there  was  one  person  I 
could  trust.  I  thought  you  loved  me  and  would 
keep  your  promise,"  said  the  King,  mournfully. 
"You  are  so  beautiful  and  I  was  going  to  marry 
you  when  I  grew  up.  But  if  I'm  wrong  I'll  go 
back  with  you.  I  thought  we  were  going  to 
have  such  a  good  time." 

Mam'selle  glanced  down  to  the  King  and  saw 
a  flood  of  unregal  tears  gathering  in  his  eyes. 
Again  her  tender  heart  came  to  his  rescue,  and 
she  said: 

"We'll  go  to  the  river,  back  of  Notre  Dame, 
my  King,  and  we'll  not  return  till  you  give  the 
word.  I'm  going  to  trust  you.  If  we  are  dis- 
covered, woe  is  me,  for  I  believe  the  Cardinal 
would  have  me  beheaded." 

"Do   this    for   me,   Sweet   Mam'selle,"    pleaded 


i4  THE  LITTLE  KING 

the  King,  taking  her  hand.  "I  shall  protect  you 
for  I  am  the  King  and  when  I  grow  up  I'll  make 
you  a  duchess  and  I'll  marry  you,  too." 

So,  far  past  the  Louvre,  the  Little  King  and 
Mam'selle  wandered  till  they  reached  the  wharf 
of  the  Old  Red  Ferry,  beyond  the  Bridge  of 
Our  Lady  back  of  the  great  dark  Church  of 
Notre  Dame.  Then  the  King,  leading  Mam- 
'selle by  the  hand,  crossed  the  quai  and  following 
the  bend  of  the  river,  walked  on  the  rivage  very 
close  to  the  "dark,  murky,  beautiful"  water. 

At  times  the  King  had  the  great  happiness  to 
step  right  in  the  water,  much  to  Mam'selle's 
horror,  but  he  seemed  to  have  mastered  her  and 
she  gave  him  his  way  in  everything.  Once  or 
twice  the  King  actually  brushed  against  the  rough 
garbed  gens  de  riviere,  who  smiled  at  the  beautiful 
Mam'selle — for  she  was  as  fair  as  a  rosy  dawn — and 
looked  with  kindly  glances  on  the  handsome  child. 

It  was  all  so  delightfully  strange  to  the  King 
that  his  joy  was  beyond  expression  save  in  signifi- 
cant squeezes  of  Mam'selle's  hand,  expressive 
glances  up  to  her  face  and  deep,  long  drawn 
breaths  of  sheer  ecstasy. 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS  15 

After  walking  a  long  way  down  the  river — it- 
seemed  a  very  long  way  to  Mam'selle — they  came 
to  a  little  girl  sitting  on  a  log  near  the  water's 
edge.  The  King  had  passed  several  clusters  of 
begrimed  and  ragged  children  who  were  far  more 
attractive  to  him  than  were  the  little  Count  de 
Bourbon,  the  little  Mam'selle  la  Duchesse  de 
Conde  or  the  other  bejeweled  children  with  whom 
he  sometimes  played  and  he  longed  to  speak  to 
them.  But  they  frightened  him  and  he  was  unable 
to  screw  his  courage  to  the  talking  place  until 
he  found  the  little  girl  sitting  alone,  tenderly 
nursing  a  rag  doll.  Though  poorly  dressed,  she 
was  cleaner  than  the  others  and  her  childish 
beauty  was  far  too  assertive  to  be  hidden  by 
rags. 

The  King  stepped  boldly  up  to  her  and  stood 
gazing  in  unfeigned  admiration.  For  one  brief 
moment  the  girl's  great  brown  eyes  gave  back 
his  admiring  glances  with  usury.  Then  the  long 
lashes  fell,  and  she  gazed  with  ostentatious 
motherly  love  upon  the  rag  doll  resting  on  her 
lap.  She  remained  seated,  wholly  unmindful  and 
apparently  unconscious  of  any  other  presence,  and 


i6 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


continued  to  smile  lovingly  into  the  doll's  face. 
Presently  she  made  it  comfortable  on  the  bend 
of  her  elbow,  crossed  her  knees,  swung  her  foot 
gently  up  and  down,  swayed  her  body  from  side 
to  side  and  hummed  a  lullaby  in  tones  so  soft 
and  sweet  that  the  King  thought  he  had  never 
before  heard  so  soothing  a  song.  Added  to  her 
lullaby  was  always  this  refrain: 

"We    thank   dear  St.    Nicholas   for   all  that  we 

receive, 
But  we  are  more  blessed,  far  more  blessed  when 

we  give." 

Meantime  the  Little  King  stood  silently  watch- 
ing her,  though 
after  her  first 
glance  she  gave  no 
sign  that  she  knew 
he  was  there.  So 
early  does  the 
flower  of  coquetry 
bloom  in  the  femi- 
nine heart  and  so 
complete  a  mastery 
has  it  over  the  self- 
proud  heart  of 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS          17 

man  that  the  King  thought  the  little  beauty's 
acting  was  real  and  supposed  she  had  forgotten 
that  he  and  Mam'selle  stood  before  her. 

Presently  the  Little  King  coughed  deferentially 
to  remind  her  that  he,  Louis  XIV,  was  awaiting 
her  pleasure  and  was  willing  to  be  gracious.  But 
she  had  no  time  for  frivolities.  Baby  needed 
her  attention;  it  was  baby's  sleepy  time. 

This  indifference  to  his  august  presence  was  a 
new  and  not  altogether  unattractive  phase  of  life 
to  the  King.  Never  had  he  dreamed  that  any 
one  could  ignore  him,  nor  did  he  know  that  it 
was  possible  for  a  subject  of  France  to  sit  in 
the  presence  of  France's  King.  But  the  new  con- 
dition interested  him  so  much  that  he  gazed, 
admired,  smiled  broadly  and  after  a  time,  said: 

"Why  don't  you  rise,  Mam'selle?  Why  do 
you  remain  seated?" 

No  answer  came  save  in  the  gentle  swaying  of 
the  body  and  the  crooning  of  the  lullaby,  so  the 
King  again  asked: 

"Why  do  you  remain  seated?" 

"Sh — h — h — h,"  she  answered,  holding  up  her 
hand  to  enjoin  silence  and  whispering  softly.  "I 


i8  THE  LITTLE  KING 

am  singing  my  baby  to  sleep.  You  know  it  spoils 
them  to  walk  them  to  sleep." 

All  Greek  to  the  Little  King,  far  worse  than 
Greek,  for  he  had  a  slight  knowledge  of  the 
olden  tongue,  but  what  he  knew  about  babies 
could  have  been  written  on  his  smallest  finger  nail. 

The  King  again  was  silent  and  stood  for  a 
minute  or  more  enjoying  the  lullaby  which  was 
being  sung  to  him  quite  as  much  as  to  the  doll. 
He  looked  up  to  Sweet  Mam'selle  with  a  puzzled 
expression.  She  answered  with  a  smile  and  the 
Little  King,  turning  to  the  child  with  a  manner 
as  if  to  say  "I'm  enjoying  this  very  much," 
remarked : 

"Do  you  know,  you  are  the  only  person  except 
the  Queen  Mother  that  has  ever  remained  seated 
in  my  presence?  The  Count  de  Bourbon  and 
Mam'selle  la  Duchess  de  Conde,  even  the  Car- 
dinal and  my  brother,  Monsieur,  all  remain 
standing." 

All  Greek  to  the  little  girl,  so  she  answered 
without  deigning  to  give  a  glance  to  the  Little 
King:  "I  don't  know  those  folks,"  and  again 
took  up  the  broken  lullaby. 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS  19 

The  Little  King's  smile  broadened  to  a  hugh. 
Christmas,  after  all,  was  not  so  bad  a  day.  He 
was  determined  to  talk  to  the  little  girl  and  to 
make  her  talk  to  him,  so  presently  he  asked: 

"What  is  your  name,   Mam'selle  ?" 

"Louise  Jarbeau.  What's  yours?"  she  answered 
in  accents  softly  spoken  out  of  respect  to  baby's 
sleepiness,  then  immediately  resumed  her  crooning. 

After  a  long,  delicious  pause,  the  King  answered: 

"My  name  is  Louis." 

Another  long  pause  ensued. 

"Louis    what?"    she    asked   between    notes. 

"Louis  what?"  repeated  the  King.  Louise 
failing  to  answer  he  looked  up  to  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle and  asked:  "What  does  she  mean?" 

"I  mean  what  is  your  other  name  besides 
Louis,"  said  the  girl,  answering  for  Mam'selle 
in  tones  plainly  showing  that  the  King  was  inter- 
fering with  her  motherly  duties. 

"Oh!  Louis  Fourteen.  I  am  the  King,"  he 
answered. 

Mam'selle  gave  his  hand  an  admonitory  squeeze. 
The  King  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  laughed 
softly  as  if  to  say,  "Too  late  now.  The  cat's  out." 


20  THE  LITTLE  KING 

The  King's  statement  evidently  amused  the  lit- 
tle mother,  for  she  looked  up  to  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle  with  a  smile  which  seemed  to  say,  "To  us 
older  folks  his  childish  jests  are  amusing,"  and 
again  turned  her  eyes  to  the  baby,  now  evidently 
almost  asleep.  She  was  at  least  two  years  younger 
than  his  Majesty. 

The  King  was  about  to  speak,  but  the  little 
mother  held  up  her  hand  warningly,  whispered 
"Sh — h — h — h"  to  enjoin  siknce  for  one  mo- 
ment longer,  swayed  her  body  more  gently,  sung 
more  softly,  watched  the  baby's  face  more  intently 
and  after  a  moment  of  sweet  pantomime,  breathed 
a  sigh  of  relief  as  baby  reached  the  shores  of 
slumberland. 

"Now  she  is  asleep  and  we  may  .talk  without 
waking  her  if  we  speak  softly — softly,  you  know, 
as  the  fairies  talk."  She  laid  the  baby  gently 
on  the  log,  covered  it  tenderly  with  an  old  piece 
of  sail  cloth,  gazed  at  the  sleeping  infant  for  a 
moment,  sighed,  crossed  herself  and  said: 

"Thank  Jesu— at  last!" 

She  tiptoed  to  the  other  end  of  the  log,  sat 
down,  beckoned  Mam'selle  and  the  King  to  a 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS          21 

place  beside  her  and  drew  in  her  ragged  little 
skirts  so  that  they  might  sit  very  close.  He  at 
once  accepted  the  invitation  but  Mam'selle  remained 
standing. 

"You  sit  down,  too,  on  the  other  side  of  me," 
said  Louise,  smiling  up  to  Mam'selle,  "and  we'll 
talk.  I'll  tell  you  how  St.  Nicholas  brought 
Babette — Babette  is  my  baby — to  me  only  this 
morning." 

"I  prefer  standing,"  said  Mam'selle,  "and 
should  like  very  much  to  hear  the  story  of 
Babette." 

"Please  sit  down,  Sweet  Mam'selle,  on  the 
other  side  of  Louise,"  pleaded  the  Little  King, 
grasping  Mam'selle's  hand  and  drawing  her  toward 
the  log.  So  Mam'selle,  for  the  first  and  last 
time  in  all  her  life,  sat  in  the  presence  of  the 
King  of  France,  with  Louise  Jarbeau  between  her 
and  august  Majesty. 

At  first  the  conversation  seemed  to  halt,  so 
Louise,  feeling  that  the  burden  of  hostess  rested 
on  her  little  shoulders,  asked: 

"What  is  your  father's  name  and  what  does 
he  do?" 


22  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"He  is  dead,"  answered  the  King,  "but  his 
name,  too,  was  Louis." 

"But  his — his  other  name,  what  was  it?"  asked 
Louise. 

The   King   laughed   and  said:   "I   don't  know." 

Louise's  eyes  opened  in  wonder,  but  she  made 
no  comment  on  the  remarkable  situation,  fearing 
to  offend,  for  perhaps  it  was  not  the  little  boy's 
fault  that  he  did  not  know  his  father's  name. 

To  the  Little  King  the  fact  that  his  father 
was  dead  was  not  a  source,  of  grief.  The  late 
Louis  XIII  was  simply  a  link  in  the  kingship 
of  France,  a  mere  number  in  French  history. 

A  long  pause  followed  during  which  Louise 
was  trying  to  formulate  suitable  expressions  of 
sympathy  for  the  King's  fatherless  and  nameless 
condition,  but  he  sadly  disturbed  her  mental  proc- 
esses by  saying: 

"My  father  was  called  Thirteen  and  I  am 
Fourteen." 

A  smile  came  to  Louise's  face  despite  her 
effort  not  to  seem  amused  and  she  said: 

"There  must  have  been  a  lot  of  children  in 
your  family  to  have  to  give  them  numbers  instead 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS          23 

of  names."  Then  the  smile  seemed  to  transfer 
itself  to  the  King's  face  and  hers  bore  a  touch  of 
sadness  as  she  continued:  "That's  the  way  they 
do  in  prison.  My  Father  Pierre's  number  is  too 
large  for  me  to  know  because  I  can't  count  more 
than  one  hundred,  so  my  Mother  Louise  puts  it 
down  on  a  piece  of  paper  when  she  sends  me 
with  a  basket  of  bread  to  the  Prison  Sur  le 
Pont." 

Louise  sighed  and  with  an  air  of  wishing  to 
get  away  from  a  disagreeable  topic,  went  back 
to  the  subject  of  names: 

"It  is  so  funny.  Your  father  with  a  number 
for  a  name  and  you,  too."  Again  she  paused, 
looked  dreamily  out  over  the  river,  turned  again 
to  the  King  and  continued  softly,  tenderly:  "I'm 
sorry  he  is  dead  because  he  can't  be  good  to 
you  and  buy  things  for  you,  and  you  can't  be 
sorry  and  cry  if — if  they  take  him  to  prison 
and  your  mother  can't  cry  every  night  because 
he  is  in  prison.  But  maybe  she  cries  because 
he's  dead,  does  she?" 

The  thought  was  entirely  new  to  the  Little 
King,  so  he  answered  truthfully: 


24  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"I  don't  know,  but  I  heard  Madame  de  Longue- 
ville  say  that  the  Queen  left  off  rouge  when  the 
King  died.  But  why  should  she  cry?' 

Louise  was  dimly  conscious  of  a  feeling  that 
of  course  his  mother  would  cry,  but  the  King's 
manner  made  her  suspect  that  perhaps  something 
was  wrong  with  either  her  premise  or  her  conclu- 
sion. The  subject  was  too  deep  for  Louise,  so 
she  backed  away  from  it  saying : 

"My  mother's  name  is  the  same  as  mine.  Her 
name  is  Louise  too — Mother  Louise.  I  am  Baby 
Louise.  What — what  is  your  mother's  name?" 
There  was  doubt  in  the  question;  it  was  danger- 
ous ground. 

"I — don't — know,"  stammered  the  King,  who 
had  inherited  along  with  his  crown  his  father's 
tendency  to  stammer  when  slightly  confused. 

The  science  of  nomenclature,  so  simple  to 
Louise,  was  too  deep  for  Louis. 

"What tithe  Queen's  name?"  he  asked,  leaning 
forward  and  speaking  across  Louise  to  Mam- 
'selle. 

"Her  Majesty's  name  is  Anne,"  answered 
Mam'selle. 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS          25 

Louise  sat  in  open-eyed  expectancy,  hoping  to 
hear  a  second  name. 

"Yes,  Anne,"  said  the  King,  turning  to  Louise 
and  taking  evident  delight  in  the  fact  that  his 
mother  had  a  name.  "My  mother's  name  is 
Anne."  A  short  pause  filled  with  faltering  cer- 
tainty: "The  Queen  is  my  real  mother,  is  she 
not,  Sweet  Mam'selle?" 

Mam'selle   answered:   "Yes." 

Louise  smiled  in  default  of  words.  This  con- 
dition of  affairs  was  startling.  Here  was  a  boy 
older  than  she  who  did  not  know  his  mother's 
name,  and  seemed  not  to  be  entirely  clear  about 
his  own.  He  seemed,  too,  to  be  a  little  foggy 
concerning  his  mother's  very  existence  and  the 
family  name  appeared  to  be  a  series  of  numbers. 
Words  were  useless  thought  Louise;  but  silence 
was  embarrassing,  so  she  was  driven  to  speech: 

"Does   she   have  to   work   very  hard?" 

"Yes,"  responded  the  King,  delighted  to  be 
able  to  answer  a  question  intelligibly.  He  felt 
that  he  and  the  little  girl  were  once  more  on 
mutually  understandable  ground.  But  he  was 
wrong,  for  respecting  the  definition  of  the  word 


26  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"work,"  they  were  further  apart  than  ever. 
"She  holds  a  council  of  state  on  Mondays  and 
Thursdays,  and  every  day  with  the  Cardinal. 
Nearly  every  day,  I  believe,  she  Consults  with 
M.  Mole,  of  the  Parliament.  Then  she  receives 
ambassadors  from  other  kings  and  addresses  from 
the  people,  and — and — " 

"So  does  my  mother,"  answered  poor  Louise 
from  the  midst  of  cloud.  She  did  not  intend 
that  any  one's  mother  should  do  more  work  than 
her  own  dear  Mother  Louise. 

The  King  glanced  inquiringly  toward  Mam- 
'selle  and  Louise  continued:  "And  she  sews,  too, 
when  she  can  get  any  to  do." 

"Sews"  was  another  word  concerning  which  the 
King  was  sadly  lacking  in  definition.  He  had 
prided  himself  on  his  knowledge  of  the  French 
language,  but  his  pride  had  taken  a  fall  and  his 
ignorance  was  embarrassing,  so  he  remained  silent. 
With  true  feminine  tact,  Louise  had  concealed  her 
own  shortage,  but  with  feminine  quickness  soon 
discovered  that  the  King  was  groping,  so  to  pre- 
vent his  humiliation  she  again  took  up  the  burden 
of  the  conversation. 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS          27 

"Yes,  my  mother  Louise  and  my  sister  Jose- 
phine— she  is  a  big  girl,  she  is  sixteen — work 
whenever  they  can  get  anything  to  do  and  they 
buy  things  for  me.  And  they've  got  two  names, 
too." 

Louise  did  not  want  to  boast,  but  she  did  feel 
that  the  possession  of  four  names  by  two  persons 
was  a  fact  justifying  mention  as  conducive  of 
respect  in  a  boy  whose  father  and  mother  had 
but  one  each. 

A  long  pause  followed.  Louis  did  not  seem 
able  to  break  it  and  Louise  felt  that  something 
must  be  done  to  relieve  the  embarrassing  silence, 
so  she  again  took  up  the  burden. 

"Oh,  I  love  Mother  Louise  and  my  sister. 
They  bought  me  a  nice  red  ribbon  last  Christ- 
mas. I  have  it  at  home.  Yes,  Fourteen,  a  real 
red  ribbon.  I  wear  it  only  when  I  go  to  high 
mass.  Oh,  it's  so  beautiful  and  they're  going 
to  buy  me  a  new  dress  when  they  get  enough 
sous.  They  never  expect  to  get  enough  to  buy 
dresses  for  themselves.  It  takes  nearly  all  they 
can  get  to  pay  the  guard  at  the  Prison  Sur  le  Pont 
to  let  me  take  bread  to  Fnther  Pierre.  Every 


28  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Sunday  right  after  mass,  Mother  Louise  sends  me 
with  bread  and  sometimes  a  little  milk  to  Father 
Pierre.  I  don't  know  why,  but  she  says  she's 
afraid  to  send  Josephine  because  Josephine  is 
pretty  and  she's  too  big,  so  she  sends  me  and 
sometimes  I  get  to  see  Father  Pierre  and  he 
kisses  me  and  cries,  and  then — and  then — well, 
I  cry,  too." 

She  paused  and  tried  very  hard  to  smile,  as 
if  in  apology  for  again  introducing  a  painful 
topic. 

The  King,  who  seemed  to  be  having  less  diffi- 
culty with  his  definitions,  fully  grasped  the  situa- 
tion and  listened  in  evident  sympathy,  while 
Sweet  Mam'selle  was  struggling  to  keep  back 
the  tears. 

"Oh,  but  my  doll  Babettel"  cried  Louise,  joy- 
fully. "Do  you  want  me  to  tell  you  about  her?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  King  and  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

"Well,  I  remember  long  ago — 'way  last  Christ- 
mas— I  did  want  a  doll  so  badly.  But  I  was 
little  then;  I  was  only  five  years  old  so  I  didn't 
get  one.  Marie  Lotier  got  one.  St.  Nicholas 
brought  it  to  her,  but  she  wouldn't  let  me  play 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS          29 

with  it.  But  she  did  let  me  look  at  her  playing 
with  it  and — and — that  was  nice  in  her,  wasn't 
it,  now?  Oh,  I  did  so  want  a  doll  and  I  just 
thought  about  it  all  the  time — every  minute  since 
last  Christmas — and  I  made  a  novena  for  one 
and  Mother  Louise  gave  me  a  sou  for  an  offer- 
ing to  the  Virgin  and  sure  enough,  my  novena 
was  answered,  and  when  I  woke  up  this  morning, 
there  right  beside  me  was  my  beautiful  doll, 
Babette.  I  had  seen  her,  don't  you  know,  in 
Mother  Lotier's  shop  window — she  is  Marie's 
mother  and  keeps  the  shop  next  door  to  us — and 
I  told  Mother  Louise  that  maybe  St.  Nicholas 
had  left  Babette  there  for  me,  and  sure  enough  he 
had.  I  like  Marie  but  they  say  she  is  a  Huguenot." 
Louise  hurriedly  crossed  herself  and  continued  the 
story  of  Babette:  "Oh,  I  do  love  Babette  better 
than  any  one  in  the  world  except  Mother  Louise 
and  Sister  Josephine  and  Father  Pierre.  I  wonder 
would  the  Virgin"  (she  casts  down  her  eyes  and 
crosses  herself  devoutly)  "punish  me  if  I  loved 
Babette  better  than  them." 

"No,  no,  Louise,"  said  Sweet  Mam'selle,  speak- 
ing   to  keep  back  the  tears.     "But  you  must  not 


30  THE  LITTLE  KING 

love  your  doll  better  than  your  mother,  father  and 
sister." 

Louise  wanted  to  hurry  away  from  the  thought. 

"Yes,  good  St.  Nicholas  brought  her  to  me. 
He  brought  Marie  Lotier  a  prettier  doll  but  I 
know  it  is  not  so  good  as  Babette." 

Another  long  pause  ensued;  Louise  bent  her 
head  in  a  listening  attitude,  held  up  her  hand  for 
silence  and  said:  "There!  Babette  is  awake  and 
I'll  fetch  her.  I'm  glad  she  didn't  sleep  long, 
for  I  do  love  her  and  I  just  want  her  all  the  time." 

She  ran  to  the  doll,  took  it  up  tenderly,  kissed 
it  passionately  and  resumed  her  seat  between 
Mam'selle  and  the  King.  After  she  had  made 
the  baby  comfortable  on  her  lap  and  had  feasted 
her  eyes  for  a  moment  on  its  beauty,  she  turned 
to  the  King  and  asked: 

"What  did  St.  Nicholas  bring  you  this  morn- 
ing?" 

"Why,  no — nothing.  I — I — don't  know  him, 
so  of  course  he  wouldn't  bring  me  anything.  He 
couldn't  get  into  the  palace,"  answered  the  King. 

"Many  friends  brought  beautiful  presents," 
interrupted  Sweet  Mam'selle.  "The  Cardinal  pre- 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS          31 

sented  a  beautiful  sword  with  a  jeweled  hilt  and 
scabbard.  The  Marquis  de  Villeroi  presented  a 
diamond  star  of  the  King's  Orders  and  many 
others  made  their  Christmas  offerings.  There  was  a 
beautiful  brooch  from  her  Majesty." 

Poor  Louise  was  lost  again.  Stars  and  Orders, 
scabbards  and  brooches  were  Greek  to  her.  She 
gazed  with  pity  on  the  King  and  asked: 

"But  didn't  St.  Nicholas  bring  you  something 
— something  that  made  you  cry  just  because  you 
loved  it  so  much?" 

Babette  for  the  moment  was  forgotten  and  lay 
on  Louise's  lap  in  frightful  danger  of  falling  off. 

"No,  he  brought  me  nothing,"  answered  the 
King,  with  a  note  of  pain  in  his  voice,  telling 
plainly  that  he  was  beginning  to  realize  his  great 
misfortune. 

"Oh,  you  poor — you  poor — "  began  Louise.  But 
she  stopped  speaking  suddenly,  as  if  the  words 
had  been  choked  back  by  a  great  and  torturing 
thought.  She  gazed  for  a  moment  at  the  King, 
then  lowered  her  eyes  with  ineffable  love  toward 
the  doll  in  her  lap.  It  was  the  only  treasure  she 
had  ever  possessed,  the  only  great  joy  she  had 


3J 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


ever  known.     A  struggle  was  going  on  within  her 
baby  heart,  but  it  was  brief.     In   a    few  seconds 
she   turned   quickly   toward   the    King,   thrust   the 
precious   Babette  in  his  hands   and   said: 
"You   take   her,   Fourteen,   you   take  her." 

She  smothered 
her  grief  for  a  sec- 
ond or  two,  but 
could  not  hold  out 
against  it,  so  fell 
to  her  knees,  buried 
er  face  in  Sweet 
Mam'selle's  lap  and  wept  as  if  her  little  heart 
would  break. 

Louise's  wondrous  unselfishness  touched  Sweet 
Mam'selle  keenly,  and  the  Little  King's  knowledge 
of  definitions  was  full  and  clear.  He  saw  it  all 
and  his  heart  responded  if  his  voice  did  not. 

"No,  Louise,  we  cannot  take  your  doll,"  said 
Sweet  Mam'selle. 

"No,  no,"  agreed  the  King. 
"Yes,-  yes,"    insisted   Louise,    between  her   sobs. 
"I   can't  bear  to   think  that   St.    Nicholas   forgot 
Fourteen." 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS          33 

"But  you  must  take  her  back,"  said  Sweet 
Mam'selle,  lifting  Louise  to  her  feet  and  indicat- 
ing to  the  King  to  place  the  doll  in  her  arms. 
The  King  quickly  responded  and  Louise  fell  upon 
Babette  in  a  passion  of  caresses  that  would  have 
filled  the  heart  of  a  returning  prodigal  with  envy. 

After  a  brief  moment  of  joyous  thanksgiving 
for  Babette's  return,  Louise  looked  up  through 
her  tears  to  Sweet  Mam'selle  and  asked: 

"Why  did  St.  Nicholas  forget  Fourteen?  Was 
he  a  bad  boy?" 

"No,  no,  Louise,  he  was  good.  And  I  am 
sure  St.  Nicholas  will  come  to  our  house  to-night, 
so  you  need  not  worry." 

Louise  dried  her  eyes  and  divided  her  smiles 
as  impartially  as  possible  between  Fourteen  and 
Babette. 

Mam'selle  thought  it  was  high  time  that  she 
and  the  King  should  hurry  home,  but  she  wanted 
the  King  to  return  Louise's  great  favor  with  one 
still  greater,  if  possible,  so  she  asked: 

"Is  your   father  in  prison,  Louise?" 

"Yes,  the  Prison  Sur  le  Pont." 

"Does  your  mother  live  near  here?" 
3 


34  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"Yes,  over  there  by  Mother  Lotier's  shop," 
answered  Louise,  pointing  to  a  near-by  house. 

"Fetch  her  quickly,"  commanded  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle.  Then  Louise  ran  off,  clinging  to  Babette,  to 
bring  her  mother. 

While  she  was  away  Mam'selle  had  a  moment's 
talk  with  the  Little  King,  who,  knowing  all  about 
the  definitions  of  the  word  "prison"  and  its  kin- 
dred, fully  comprehended  the  situation  and  was 
eager  to  act. 

"Do — do  you  su — suppose  I  can  really  let 
Louise's  father  out  of  prison?"  asked  the  Little 
King. 

"With  the  help  of  the  good  Bishop  of  Notre 
Dame,  whom  we  both  know  and  who  lives  near 
by,  I  feel  sure  you  can,"  answered  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle. 

When  Mother  Louise  came,  she  explained  that 
Father  Pierre  had  been  arrested  two  years  before 
for  protecting  his  daughter  from  insult  at  the 
hands  of  a  drunken  nobleman  and  that  he  had 
been  in.  prison  ever  since. 

After  hearing  Mother  Louise's  story,  they  all 
hurried  to  the  house  of  the  good  Bishop  of 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS'         35 


36  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Notre  Dame,  who  wrote  out  an  order  for  the 
King  to  sign,  directing  Father  Pierre's  release. 
With  great  difficulty  the  Little  King  signed  his 
name  "Louis  R."  The  Bishop  attested  his 
Majesty's  signature,  and  gave  the  order  to 
Mother  Louise  saying: 

"Present  this  to  the  Governor  of  the  Prison 
Sur  le  Pont  and  you  will  receive  your  husband.'* 

Greatly  frightened  at  what  she  had  done,  Sweet 
Mam'selle  hurried  back  to  the  palace. 

Immediately  after  leaving  the  Bishop's  house, 
the  Little  King  asked: 

"Do — do — you  suppose  they  will  let  Father 
Pierre  out  of  prison?" 

"Yes,  my  King,  I  am  sure  they  will,"  answered 
Sweet  Mam'selle. 

As  they  were  climbing  the  narrow  steps  to  the 
King's  bedroom,  he  again  asked: 

"Do — do — you  suppose  they  will  really  let  him 
out?" 

"Yes,  yes,  my  King,  I  am  sure  they  will," 
answered  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

When  they  were  once  more  safe  in  the  King's 


THE  LITTLE  KING'S  CHRISTMAS          37 

bedroom,  Sweet  Mam'selle  gave  a  great  sigh  of 
relief  and  at  once  began  to  remove  the  King's 
"plainest,  darkest"  suit.  He  wanted  his  nap,  for 
he  was  tired,  though  very  happy — happier  than 
he  had  ever  been  before  in  all  his  life. 

While  Mam'selle  was  arranging  for  his  nap, 
the  King,  seeming  to  have  but  one  thought,  again 
asked : 

"Do — do — you  suppose  they  will  really  let  him 
out?" 

"Yes,  my  King,  I  am  sure  they  will,"  answered 
Sweet  Mam'selle.  "It  is  your  Majesty's  first  act 
as  King  and  I  hope  you  will  remember  it  all 
your  life." 

"I  shall,"  answered  the  Little  King,  with  more 
feeling  than  he  had  ever  shown.  "What  was  it 
in  Louise's  song  about  giving?" 

"She  said — 'But  we  are  more  blessed,  far  more 
blessed  when  we  give,'  "  answered  Mam'selle. 

"Yes,"  returned  the  Little  King.  "That  was 
it,  Sweet  Mam'selle,  and  it  is  true,  every  word. 
Maybe  that  is  what  Christmas  means?" 

"Yes,   yes,   my  King." 

The  King  lay  down  on  his  low  soft  bed,  asking 


38  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Sweet  Mam'selle  to  sit  on  a  hassock  beside  him 
and  hold  his  hand. 

A  long  silence  ensued.  The  King  was  almost 
asleep,  but  from  the  depths  of  his  drowsiness  he 
spoke : 

"St.  Nicholas  didn't  for — forget  me,  did  he, 
Sweet  Mam'selle?  He  brought  Christmas  to — to 
his  Little  King."  Then  the  fair  little  face  turned 
toward  Mam'selle,  whose  head  was  resting  beside 
him  on  the  royal  pillow.  He  kissed  her  cheek 
ever  so  softly  and  whispered: 

"Do — do  you  suppose — "  But  the  King  of 
France  was  sound  asleep. 

"Yes,  yes,  my — my — "  drowsily  answered  Sweet 
Mam'selle. 

But  Sweet  Mam'selle  was  with  her  King  in  the 
land  of  dreams,  where  the  sough  of  Louise's 
lullaby  came  laden  with  the  sweet  refrain: 

"But  we  are  more  blessed,  far  more  blessed  when 
we  give." 


CHAPTER  II 
SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY 

IT    would    have    been    impossible    to    convince 
Sweet    Mam'selle    and    the    Little    King    that 
their  rosaries  had  not  turned  away  the  hand 
of   Death,    and   their   faith   was   so   beautiful   that 
none    but    a    very    hardened    person    would    have 
tried. 

Soon  after  Christmas  the  poor  Little  King 
was  very  ill.  One  can't  expect  a  boy  of  eight 
to  be  a  man  when  he  is  ill,  but  little  Louis  XIV 
came  as  near  it  as  any  child  ever  did.  He  gave 
one  the  impression  of  a  grafted  tree.  In  some 
wonderful  manner  the  artificial  bud  of  kingli- 
ness  had  been  grafted  on  the  native  stem  of  hu- 
man nature,  and  the  work  was  done  so  adroitly 
that  the  two  seemed  one.  The  result  was  a 
quaint  and  interesting  child  king.  His  Majesty, 
the  king-child,  is  to  be  found  in  many  a  house- 
hold, but  the  child  king  belongs  to  a  rare, 

39 


40  THE  LITTLE  KING 

small  species   of  the   human   race,    and   the   world 
has  known  but  few  specimens  of  his  kind. 

So  when  the  Little  King  was  sick,  the  part  of 
him  which  was  king  kept  a  stiff  rein  on  the  part 
of  him  which  was  child,  and  no  one  save  his  beautiful 
nurse,  Sweet  Mam'selle,  was  permitted  to  witness 
his  luxurious  and,  at  times,  much  needed  lapses 
back  to  nature.  When  alone  with  her,  he  re- 
laxed and  found  sweet  relief  in  gently  flowing 
tears,  wistful  complaints  and  childish  appeals 
for  sympathy.  His  tears  were  stayed,  oh,  so 
lovingly  by  Sweet  Mam'selle's  soft  hand;  his  com- 
plaints were  heard,  oh,  so  tenderly,  and  his  ap- 
peals for  sympathy  were  met  by  a  flood  of 
soothing  consolation,  fresh  from  her  gentle  heart. 
So  they  loved  each  other  devotedly,  and  Sweet 
Mam'selle  knew  that  she  was  first  in  the  heart 
of  the  King  of  France. 

The  Little  King  had  good  cause  to  love  Sweet 
Mam'selle,  for  of  all  the  women  of  the  court, 
she  alone  had  clung  to  him  during  his  illness. 
After  the  nature  of  his  malady  was  known,  no 
one  else  had  entered  his  room  save  his  governor, 
the  Marquis  de  Villeroi,  Seguine,  the  Queen's 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  41 

physician,  and  a  mysterious  old  woman,  who  came 
morning  and  evening  for  the  ostensible  purpose 
of  instructing  Sweet  Mam'selle  in  the  art  of  nurs- 
ing. 

Although  great  caution  was  used  to  keep  the 
King  from  knowing  the  nature  of  his  illness,  the 
marked  absence  of  the  Queen  and  the  courtiers 
led  him  to  suspect  that  it  was  contagious.  The 
Marquis  and  Seguine  remained  in  the  room 
nearly  all  the  time  save  at  night,  and  though 
the  Little  King  found  their  presence  irksome, 
he  was  too  polite  to  say  so  until  the  afternoon 
of  the  third  day  of  his  illness.  Until  then  he 
did  not  complain.  He  had  tried  so  hard  to  be 
a  king,  but  at  last  tired  human  nature  rebelled,, 
and  he  longed  to  be  alone  with  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

At  times,  the  part  of  him  which  was  king 
had  a  long  reign,  but  when  the  part  of  him 
which  was  child  took  its  turn,  the  Little  King 
became  intensely  human,  and  would  have  his  own. 
way,  quietly  if  possible,  stormily  if  necessary. 

So  on  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day,  while 
the  Marquis  de  Villeroi  and  Seguine  were  talk- 
ing in  low  irritating  whispers  over  by  the  win- 


~42  THE  LITTLE  KING 

dow  at  the  other  end  of  the  long  room,  the 
Little  King  turned  to  Sweet  Mam'selle,  who  was 
sitting  beside  him  on  a  hassock,  and  whispered: 

"Tell  them  I  thank  them  for  their  presence, 
but  that  I  shall  not  trouble  them  to  remain." 

Sweet  Mam'selle  crossed  the  room,  courtesied 
to  the  Marquis  and  delivered  the  King's  mes- 
sage. 

The   Marquis  went  to  the   King  and  said: 

"We  are  to  remain  here  until  your  Majesty 
has  recovered.  Seguine  and  I  do  not  fear,  for 
we  have  had  the  smallpox — that  is — I — I  mean 
— your  Majesty — I  mean  it  is  our  duty  and  our 
great  pleasure  to  remain;  besides,  it  is  the  com- 
mand of  the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal." 

"I  thank  you,"  answered  the  Little  King,  cling- 
ing desperately  to  his  dignity.  "But  you  have 
the  King's  permission  to  go,  and  that  is  greater 
than  the  command  of  the  Queen  and  the  Car- 
dinal." 

"But,  your  Majesty — "  began  the  Marquis, 
protestingly — 

"I  am  sure  M.  le  Marquis  will  not  wait  for 
the  King  to  dismiss  him.  That  would  be  pain- 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  43 

ful  to — to  both,"  interrupted  the  Little  King, 
glaring  angrily. 

That  was  human  nature  backed  by  kingliness, 
so  the  Marquis  and  Seguine  bowed  and  with- 
drew. 

Sweet  Mam'selle  then  ran  to  the  Little  King 
and  fell  on  her  knees  at  his  bedside,  for  she, 
too,  was  glad  they  were  gone.  Instantly  the  king 
flew  away,  and  tears  and  sobs  came  softly,  hu- 
manly, pathetically  from  the  tired  child's  weary 
heart. 

"Oh,  my  King!"  cried  Sweet  Mam'selle,  "I 
would  that  I  could  be  ill  in  your  place." 

"Ha — have  you  ev — ever  had — had  the  small- 
pox?" sobbed  the  King. 

"No,   my   King." 

"Then — then — I  dis — dismiss  you,"  he  returned. 
"Else  you  will  be  ill.  You — you  will  take  the 
contagion." 

"Why   do   you    say   I   shall?"   she    asked. 

"Because  I  have  the  smallpox,"  he  replied, 
making  a  manly  effort  to  stay  his  tears. 

"No,   no,   my   King,   it  cannot  be." 

"You    will    not    say    I    have    it  not,"    returned 


44  THE  LITTLE  KING 

the  King,  trying  his  best  to  smile,  "because  you 
cannot  tell  a  falsehood.  You  never  did  and  you 
never  will;  will  you,  Sweet  Mam'selle?  I  be- 
lieve every  word  you  say,  and  I  love  you  and 
trust  you,  and  just  as  soon  as  I  am  crowned,  I'm 
going  to  make  you  a  duchess  and  marry  you. 
Then  you  will  be  the  greatest  lady  in  the  world 
— my  Queen.  Don't  you  wish  I  could  grow  up 
big  in  a  night,  like  the  magic  beanstalk?"  This 
was  the  child,  unalloyed  by  kingliness. 

"Yes,  yes,  my  King,"  acquiesced  Sweet  Mam'- 
selle, soothingly.  "But  you  must  not  think  about 
yourself." 

She  could  not  make  even  an  effort  to  tell  the 
King  a  lie.  She  knew  the  great  truth  that  while 
one  swallow  may  not  make  a  summer,  one  lie 
spoken  to  a  thoughtful  child  will  make  a  liar. 
So  Sweet  Mam'selle  hesitated  and  halted  as  she 
spoke,  and  the  King  knew  the  truth. 

"I  know  what  my  malady  is,"  he  answered, 
"because  no  one  comes  to  see  me  save  my  tutor, 
the  Marquis  de  Villeroi,  Seguine  and  the  old  woman." 

"What  old  woman?"  asked  Sweet  Mam'selle, 
speaking  thoughtlessly. 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  45 

"Don't  you  know?  The  one  who  comes  every 
morning  and  evening  with  Seguine." 

"Oh,  yes.  I  forgot  her,"  returned  Sweet 
Mam'selle.  She  had  almost  told  the  King  of 
a  mysterious  secret  she  had  discovered  concern- 
ing the  old  woman. 

"They  have  had  the  malady,"  continued  the 
King,  "and  have  nothing  to  fear.  They're  all 
cowards  but  you;  ready  to  die  for  me — when 
there's  no  danger." 

It  will  be  seen  that  there  was  a  sprig  of  bit- 
terness latent  in  the  kingly  bud  grafted  on  the 
childish  stem. 

"No,  no,  my  King.  Every  one  loves  you," 
protested  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

"We  will  pretend  they  do,"  he  replied,  sigh- 
ing, "but  they  don't  love  me  as  you  do."  A 
long  pause  followed,  during  which  the  King  was 
very  thoughtful.  "The  Marquis  told  me  what 
ailed  me  when  he  said  that  he  and  Seguine  were 
not  afraid.  If  they  were,  you  would  be  alone 
with  me.  You  do  love  me  and  I  must  dismiss  you." 

"But  I  will  not  be  dismissed,"  she  answered, 
firmly. 


46  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"You  will  go  if  I  command  it,"  he  returned, 
summoning  his  kingliness. 

"No,"  said  Sweet  Mam'selle,  closing  her  lips 
and  shaking  her  head. 

"You  would  not  wilfully  disobey  your  king's 
command?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,"  she  responded,  with  all  appearances  of 
meaning  just  what  she  said. 

"Ah,  that  would  be  a  grievous  sin,"  said  the 
King,  earnestly. 

"I  suppose  so,"  she  answered,  her  face  show- 
ing clearly  all  the  determination  of  which  a  beau- 
tiful and  confident  girl  is  capable.  "But  I  do 
not  intend  to  be  driven  from  you  till  you  are 
well.  Then  if  my  King  wishes  to  be  rid  of 
me—" 

"No,  no,  Sweet  Mam'selle.  When  I  am  well, 
you  shall  return." 

"I  will  stay  now,"  she  again  insisted.  "I 
fear  you  took  the  malady  Christmas  Day  when 
we  stole  away  from  the  palace  and  went  down 
on  the  rivage  where  the  poor  people  live,  and 
met  Louise  Jarbeau.  I  feel  that  I  should  con- 
fess to  the  Queen,  and  tell  her  that  I  took  you. 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  47 

But  I  fear  she  and  the  Cardinal  would  put  me  to 
death.  Oh,  my  King,  do  not  allow  them  to 
take  me  from  you!  If  there  is  any  love  for  me, 
even  in  one  little  corner  of  your  heart,  don't 
let  them  take  me  away.  If  you  do,  I'll  tell 
the  Queen  about  Christmas  Day,  and  I  know  she 
will  kill  me." 

"But  if  you  stay,  you  will  take  the  contagion," 
insisted  the  Little  King. 

uNo,  no,  my  King.  God  is  good  and  He 
will  protect  me  while  I  am  doing  His  work  in 
saving  the  life  of  His  anointed.  I'll  say  my 
rosary  twice  every  day — " 

" — and  I'll  say  my  rosary,  too,"  interrupted 
the  Little  King,  joyful  to  have  an  excuse  to 
keep  his  friend  of  friends  near  him.  "Then 
God  will  protect  you  from  all  evil,  and  you 
may  stay." 

So  it  was  arranged  between  them,  and  they 
began  at  once  to  say  their  rosaries  with  an  un- 
questioning faith  that  always  carries  a  prayer 
straight  to  the  heart  of  God. 

Every  one  about  the  palace  wondered  when 
and  how  the  Little  King  had  been  exposed  to 


48  THE  LITTLE  KING 

the  contagion,  but  the  question  remained  unan- 
swered till  one  day  the  Bishop  of  Notre  Dame 
told  how  the  King  had  visited  him  at  his  house, 
with  Sweet  Mam'selle,  to  invoke  his  aid  in  re- 
leasing a  prisoner  whose  wife  and  child  they 
had  met  down  on  the  rivage.  Then  Sweet 
Mam'selle  was  questioned,  and  the  whole  story 
came  out. 

The  Queen,  a  shallow,  passionate  woman,  was 
furious  with  rage.  The  Cardinal,  whose  cold 
blood  never  caught  fire,  affected  great  anger,  and 
advised  that  the  girl  be  punished  by  anathema 
and  death.  In  his  righteous  indignation,  he  said 
it  was  but  meet  that  not  only  her  body  but  her 
soul  also  should  be  killed.  If  there  had  been 
anything  else  about  the  poor  girl  that  could  die, 
he  would  have  been  glad  to  kill  it,  too,  just  to 
humor  the  Queen's  angry  whim. 

Late  that  night,  while  the  King  slept  heavily 
under  the  influences  of  a  narcotic,  two  gendarmes 
from  the  Bastile  entered  the  room  with  the  Mar- 
quis de  Villeroi.  Sweet  Mam'selle,  tired  and 
almost  worn  out,  was  sitting  on  the  hassock, 
asleep,  her  head  resting  on  the  edge  of  the 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  49 

King's  bed.  When  the  guard  in  the  King's  ante- 
chamber opened  the  door,  she  sprang  to  her  feet, 
startled  and  for  the  moment,  alarmed.  But  when 
she  saw  the  Marquis,  her  fear  subsided,  and  she 
stood  awaiting  his  orders. 

Without  a  word  of  explanation,  the  cruel 
Marquis  turned  to  the  gendarmes  and  motioned 
with  his  hand  toward  Sweet  Mam'selle.  Then 
turning  to  her,  he  said:  "You  will  go  with  these 


men." 


"Where?  Why?  I  don't  understand,"  she 
asked,  speaking  softly  not  to  waken  the  King. 

"You  will  soon  learn,"  he  replied,  gruffly. 
Sweet  Mam'selle  was  out  of  favor,  therefore 
courtesy  bestowed  on  her  would  be  wasted. 

"Please  don't  speak  so  loud,  M.  le  Marquis. 
You  will  waken  the  King,"  whispered  Sweet 
Mam'selle,  who  was  so  stunned  that  she  could 
think  of  nothing  else  to  say. 

"Then  cease  your  prattle  and  go  at  once," 
he  responded. 

"Oh,  please  tell  me  why  I  am  taken  from  the 
King,"  she  pleaded.  "What  are  they  going  to 
do  with  me?  I  beg  you,  M.  le  Marquis,  do 


50  THE  LITTLE  KING 

not  send  me  off  with  these  rough  men.  It  is 
midnight.  Oh,  I  fear,  I  fear!  The  King  will 
die  without  me.  There  is  no  one  that  will  care 
for  him  as  I  do." 

The  Marquis's  only  reply  was  to  nod  to  the 
men. 

The  gendarmes  started  toward  her,  but  she 
ran  from  them,  and  threw  herself  on  the  King's 
bed,  crying  out: 

"Awake,  my  King,  awake !  They  are  taking 
me  from  you!  They  will  kill  me!  Holy  Vir- 
gin, they  will  kill  me!  I  know  they  will!" 

But  the  King  could  not  be  roused,  so  they 
took  Sweet  Mam'selle  roughly  by  the  arms  and 
led  her  from  the  palace,  without  allowing  her 
time  to  adjust  her  gown,  or  to  obtain  warm 
clothing,  though  the  hour  was  midnight  and  the 
season  midwinter.  She  was  taken  to  the  Bastile, 
the  frowning,  terrible  Bastile,  whose  name  at 
that  time,  and  for  nearly  a  century  and  a  half 
to  come,  was  spoken  by  the  people  in  whispers, 
for  it  was  a  synonym  for  torture  and 
death. 

The  next  morning  when  the  Little  King  awoke, 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  51 

he  found  a  strange  woman  by  his  side,  and  at 
once  asked  for  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

The    Marquis    hurriedly   explained. 

"The  Queen  and  the  Cardinal  commanded  that 
she  be  taken  away." 

"The  King  commands  that  she  be  brought 
back,"  retorted  the  Little  King,  angrily. 

"But  that  cannot  be,  your  Majesty,"  returned 
the  Marquis.  "The  Cardinal  directs — " 

"Who  is  king  of  France?"  demanded  the  Lit- 
tle King,  right  royally.  "The  Cardinal?  When 
I  am  crowned,  there'll  be  no  Cardinal,  I  pledge 
my  word  to  that.  I  may  not  be  able  to  make 
you  obey  me  now,  but  soon  I  shall  be  king  in 
real  truth,  and  every  one  who  has  had  a  part  in 
keeping  Sweet  Mam'selle  from  me  shall  suffer 
death.  They  think  I  am  a  child,  but  they  shall 
one  day  know  that  I  do  not  forget.  The  Car- 
dinal's head  shall-  be  the  first  to  fall,  and  yours, 
M.  le  Marquis,  shall  be  the  second  if  Sweet 
Mam'selle  is  not  returned  to  me  at  once." 

Ah,  he  was  all  king  now,  and  that  phase  of 
kingliness  was  beautiful.  After  all,  despotic 
power  has  its  satisfying  points.  The  Marquis 


52  THE  LITTLE  KING 

knew  that  the  King  meant  every  word  he  said, 
and  would  not  forget,  so  he  bowed  low,  and 
protested  that  he  had  taken  no  hand  in  Sweet 
Mam'selle's  removal. 

"I  shall  go  at  once,  your  Majesty,"  he  said, 
"and  importune  the  Queen  to  bring  her  back." 

The  Marquis  found  the  Queen,  but  her  Maj- 
esty feared  to  speak  to  him  because  of  the  con- 
tagion, so  he  gave  the  King's  message,  word  for 
word,  to  a  lady  in  waiting,  who  delivered  it 
to  her  mistress. 

"Tell  the  King  she  is  ill  with  the  smallpox," 
said  the  Queen,  who  always  sought  refuge  in  a 
lie,  even  though  the  truth  would  answer  her  pur- 
pose better. 

The  Marquis  returned  to  the  Little  King  and 
repeated  the  Queen's  message.  The  king  was 
dethroned  instantly  by  the  terrible  news,  and  the 
child  turned  his  face  to  the  wall,  weeping  bit- 
terly, regardless  of  who  should  see.  Louise  Jar- 
beau  had  done  well  her  work  on  Christmas  Day, 
and  it  would  take  years  of  kingliness  to  drive 
her  sweet  lesson  entirely  out  of  the  Little  King's 
heart.  Nothing  so  uplifts  the  human  soul  as 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY 


53 


grief  for  another's  pain,  and  nothing  so  sweet- 
ens life  as  joy  for  another's  joy. 

After  a  time  the  Little  King  dried  his  tears 
— there  was  no  soft  hand  to  do  it  for  him — 
and  called  the  Marquis  to  his  side. 

"I  hope  the  Queen  will  see  that  she  is  well 
cared  for,"  he  said,  between  sobs. 

"Your  Majesty  may  rest  easy.  She  will  be 
tenderly  nursed,"  answered  the  Marquis,  with  a 
lie  that  should  have  choked  him. 


The  morning  after  Sweet  Mam'selle  was  taken 
to  the  Bastile,  she  was  led  from  her  cell  to  an 
upper  chamber  to  be  tried;  but  the  trial  was  a 
(mockery.  She  told  the  truth  about  Christmas 


54  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Day  on  the  rivage,  and  although  there  was  no 
evidence  to  show  that  the  King  had  taken  the 
smallpox  on  that  occasion,  she  was  condemned  to 
be  beheaded. 

Sweet  Mam'selle  had  a  lover,  Jean  Breton,  a  rich 
young  Parisian  merchant,  to  whom  she  was  affianced. 

Though  tender,  loving,  and  at  times  weak,  as 
a  woman  should  be,  she  was  of  the  sort  that 
gathers  strength  against  a  peril,  so  she  did  not 
break  down  when  she  heard  the  sentence  of 
death,  but  as  soon  as  she  was  alone,  began  to 
collect  her  thoughts  to  find,  if  possible,  a  way 
to  save  her  life.  Of  course,  her  first  thought 
was  of  her  lover,  so  she  told  the  guard  that 
Jean  would  pay  him  ten  pistoles  if  he  would 
deliver  a  letter  to  him.  Ten  pistoles  then  were 
worth  nearly  one  hundred  dollars  now. 

The  guard  was  eager  to  earn  the  money,  and 
Sweet  Mam'selle  wrote: 

"  MY  DEAR  LOVER  : 

I  am  in  the  Bastile,  condemned  to  death.  If 
the  King  knew  it,  he  would  save  me.  Try 
to  see  him,  but  come  to  me  first.  Please  pay 
the  bearer  ten  pistoles, 

Your  devoted 

'  SWEET  MAM'SELLE.'  " 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  55 

In  those  days  every  official,  high  or  low,  was 
eager  to  be  bribed,  so  Jean's  ready  gold  soon 
brought  him  to  his  sweetheart.  At  first  they  were 
unable  to  form  a  plan  whereby  Jean  could  see  the 
King,  but  after  a  time  Sweet  Mam'selle's  quick 
wit  discovered  one. 

"I  know  how  it  may  be  done,"  she  cried,  joy- 
fully. 

"How,    my   sweetheart?"    asked  Jean. 

"You  know  the  old  Jew,  the  alchemist,  who 
lives  above  Baptiste  Guiron's  shop,  in  the  Rue 
Sainte  Croix?  His  name  is  Benonl." 

"Yes,  I  know  him,"  answered  Jean.  "He  says 
he  is  three  thousand  years  old.  He  is  an  ignor- 
ant charlatan  and  a  cheat — a  poor  despised  Jew; 
how  can  he  help  us?" 

"I'll  tell  you  a  great  secret,"  whispered  Sweet 
Mam'selle.  "The  old  Jew  is  not  a  cheat;  neither 
is  he  ignorant .  He  is  a  learned  physician  and 
is  treating  the  King." 

"You   do   not  mean   it!"   exclaimed   Jean. 

"Yes.  Seguine  is  the  charlatan.  He  knows 
nothing  of  his  art,  so  he  brings  the  Jew  to  tell 
him  how  to  treat  the  King.  The  Jew  goes  to 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


the  King  each  morning  and  evening,  disguised 
as  an  old  woman.  The  first  day  he  came  I  recog- 
nized him,  and  having  a  good  opportunity,  told  him 

so.  At  first  he  pretended 
not  to  understand  me, 
but  when  he  found  that 
I  knew  him,  he  laughed 
and  said  under  his  breath: 
'This  fool,  Seguine,  will 
kill  the  King  if  left  to 
himself.  I  am  here  to 
save  him,  and  if  Mam'- 
selle  loves  her  king,  I 
am  sure  she  will  keep 
a-^rny  secret.  If  the  priests 
knew  that  I,  a  Jew,  am 
treating  the  King,  they  would  appeal  to  the 
Queen  and  the  Cardinal,  and  I  should  lose  my 
head.  Seguine  is  an  ignorant  Jew,  though  he 
poses  as  a  learned  Spanish  Christian.  Real  learn- 
ing is  a  capital  offense  in  Paris.'  Then  I  told 
him  that  his  secret  was  safe,  and  he  said:  'The 
Jew  will  never  forget.' ' 

"What  you   tell   me   is   almost   beyond   belief," 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  57 

said  Jean.  "But  tell  me  how  the  Jew  can  help 
me  to  see  the  King." 

"In  this  way,  my  lover,"  answered  Sweet 
Mam'selle.  "At  the  Jew's  suggestion,  Seguine 
ordered  a  pad  to  be  made  for  the  King  to  lie 
upon,  with  certain  curative  drugs  mixed  through 
the  wool.  The  Jew  will  make  it.  If  he  has 
not  yet  taken  it  to  the  King,  our  opportunity 
will  come.  You  offer  to  pay  the  Jew  for  the 
privilege  of  bearing  it,  disguised  as  an  appren- 
tice. While  you  and  the  Jew  are  placing  it 
under  the  King,  you  will  find  your  opportunity. 
Seguine  and  the  Marquis  will  be  at  the  other 
end  of  the  room,  as  far  from  the  King  as  pos- 
sible. Then  you  whisper  to  the  King  and  tell 
him  all.  He  is  a  child,  but  he  is  stronger 
than  one  would  believe,  and  will  save  me.  I 
know  they  have  not  told  him  the  truth,  and  am 
sure  he  does  not  know  I  am  in  prison." 

Jean  hurried  to  the  Jew,  and  learned  that  he 
intended  taking  the  pad  with  him  when  he  vis- 
ited the  King  that  evening. 

Jean's  gold  pleaded  so  eloquently  that  within 
a  few  hours  he  and  the  Jew  were  in  the  King's 


58  THE  LITTLE  KING 

chamber.  The  opportunity  came  as  Sweet  Mam'- 
selle  had  said  it  would,  and  Jean  told  the  King 
of  her  impending  fate. 

The  Little  King  immediately  called  to  the 
Marquis  de  Villeroi  in  tones  showing  plainly  that 
the  king  and  not  the  child  was  now  enthroned. 
But  Jean  placed  his  finger  on  his  lips  to  suggest 
silence.  The  quick  Little  King  took  the  hint,  and 
when  the  Marquis  presented  himself,  said: 

"I  thank  you,  M.  le  Marquis,  there  is  nothing 
wanting."  So  the  Marquis  returned  to  the  window. 

"Think  it  over  carefully,  your  Majesty,  be- 
fore you  act,"  whispered  Jean. 

"But  I  am  king,  and  my  commands  must  be 
obeyed,"  he  responded. 

"Yes,  your  Majesty,  but  you  are  ill,  and  you 
may  not  be  able  to  enforce  your  commands.  I 
shall  return  in  the  morning,  and  you  may  then 
tell  me  what  to  do,  so  that  we  may  act  together. 
The  Coadjutor  and  M.  Mole  are  my  friends." 

"I  believe  I  have  a  plan  that  will  serve  our 
purpose,"  said  the  Little  King.  "But  I'll  take 
your  advice  to  think  it  over  till  morning,  when 
I'll  tell  you  about  it." 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  59 

Then    the     old    Jew    and    his    apprentice    left. 

At  this  time  there  lived  in  Paris  a  man  named 
Jean  Frangois   Paul   de    Condi,   who   was  the   Co- 
adjutor   Bishop    of    Paris.       He    was    called    the 
"Coadjutor,"    and   was  greatly   loved   by   the   peo- 
ple  because   he   was   brave   and   steadfast   in  their 
behalf.     There   was   also   a   man,   Mathiew   Mole, 
who   was   President   of   the   Parliament.     He,    too, 
was    loved    and    trusted    by    the    people.     When 
Broussell    was     thrown     into    prison     at     the    Car- 
dinal's    command,     the     people     rose     instigated 
by    the    Coadjutor  and    Mole,    demanded    his    re- 
lease   at    the    palace    gates,    and    had    their    wish. 
Had    he    not    been    released,    it    is    probable    the 
French    Revolution    would    have    occurred    at   that 
time.     The    people    had    suffered    so    much    from 
the    greed   of    the    Cardinal   and    from   the   weak, 
revengeful  tyranny  of  the  Queen  Regent  that  the 
city   of    Paris    was    but    a    stack    of   tow   waiting 
for   the   match.     The   Coadjutor   and   Mole   could 
at   any   moment   apply   the   match.     Of   that    fact 
the  Queen   and  the   Cardinal  were  aware,   and  as 
a    result,    they    lived    in    a    fever    of    fear.     One 
word  from  the   Coadjutor  or  Mole   would   arouse 


60  THE  LITTLE  KING 

the  populace,  and  even  at  that  early  time  com- 
ing events  cast  a  shadow  before,  which  was  easily 
recognized  and  terribly  feared  by  her  Majesty 
and  her  Italian  minister. 

The  Little  King  lay  all  night  thinking  how 
he  could  save  Sweet  Mam'selle,  and  when  the 
apprentice  came  the  next  morning,  waited  for  a 
good  opportunity  to  unfold  his  plan  of  rescue. 

"Tell  the  Coadjutor  and  Mole  all  about 
Sweet  Mam'selle,"  he  whispered.  "Tell  them 
how  kind  she  was  to  me,  and  how  the  Car- 
dinal has  taken  her  away,  and  would  put  her 
to  death.  I  fear  I  shall  not  be  obeyed  if  I  try 
to  save  her;  therefore,  I  want  the  Coadjutor 
and  Mole  to  say  to  the  people  that  their  Lit- 
tle King  implores  their  help,  and  asks  them  to 
demand  at  the  gate  of  the  Palais  Royal  that 
Sweet  Mam'selle  be  returned  to  him  at  once, 
safe  and  well.  Whisper  to  the  Coadjutor  the 
words  'La  Belle  Rouge',  and  he  will  know  the 
command  comes  from  me.  It  is  our  secret 
word.  Let  the  people  be  at  the  gates  of  the 
Palais  Royal  under  my  window  at  midnight. 
Then  I'll  do  my  part,  and  I  am  sure  we 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  61 

shall    have   Sweet    Mam'selle    back    very  quickly." 

So  Jean  sought  the  Coadjutor,  and  together 
they  went  to  the  house  of  Mole,  where  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  carrying  out  the  commands 
of  the  Little  King. 

"It  is  a  serious  matter  to  arouse  the  people  of 
Paris,"  said  Mole.  "A  mob  is  always  crazy, 
even  though  every  man  in  it  be  sane.  I  hope 
we  may  be  able  to  use  this  dangerous  instru- 
ment of  justice  without  doing  more  evil  than 
good.  If  the  mob  once  gets  beyond  our  control, 
I  fear  the  Cardinal,  the  Queen  and  some  of 
their  followers  may  suffer." 

"If  the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal  refuse  to 
liberate  the  girl,"  said  the  Coadjutor,  trying  to 
suppress  his  anger;  "if  they  refuse, — well,  every 
man  makes  his  own  fate  in  this  world,  and  I'm 
not  my  Cardinal's  keeper  nor  my  Queen's.  If 
they  refuse,  I  shall  go  home,  and  the  mob — 
the  mob  may  go  crazy  if  it  will." 

"Tut,  tut,  M.  Coadjutor,"  protested  Mole. 
'Tfou  are  a  priest  and  you  must  preach  mercy.'* 

"That  is  true,  M.  Mole,"  answered  the  Co- 
adjutor, "but  if  God  sees  fit  to  harden  the  hearts 


62  THE  LITTLE  KING 

of  the  Cardinal  and  the  Queen,  and  uses  the 
mob  to  punish  them  for  their  sins,  even  with 
death,  is  it  my  pkce  to  interfere  with  the  Di- 
vine Will?  I  may  be  wrong  in  hoping  that  He 
will  so  use  the  mob,  but  the  'hoping'  part  of 
me  is  man,  the  'praying'  part  of  me  is  priest. 
Don't  talk  to  me  of  mercy,  M.  Mole.  The 
Cardinal  never  knew  its  faintest  impulse.  The 
starving,  bleeding  people  of  France  have  not 
touched  his  heart  even  in  one  little  spot.  Part 
of  their  blood  will  not  satisfy  him;  he  must 
have  it  all.  You  send  word  to  your  friends,  and 
tell  them  to  communicate  to  the  people  of  Paris 
the  wishes  of  our  Little  King;  I  shall  do  the 
same,  and  what  will  be,  will  be.  I  shall  have 
five  hundred  men  at  Notre  Dame  an  hour  be- 
fore midnight,  and  shall  expect  as  many  from 
you.  Perhaps  there  had  better  be  no  women  in 
the  mob,  for  there  is  more  latent  danger  in  one 
woman,  when  aroused,  than  in  five  score  men." 
Mole  laughed,  and  the  Coadjutor  departed.  A 
few  hours  later  the  news  of  Sweet  Mam'selle's 
impending  fate  and  the  King's  appeal  for  help 
were  known  throughout  all  Paris. 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  63 

When  night  fell,  all  was  darkness  in  Paris, 
for  at  that  time  there  was  hardly  a  street  light 
in  the  whole  city.  Street  lights  waited  nearly  a 
century  for  Jeanne  Antoinette  Poisson,  Marquise 
de  Pompadour. 

Two  hours  before  midnight,  dim  figures  might 
have  been  seen  hurrying  through  the  dark,  nar- 
row streets,  and  an  hour  later,  a  thousand  men 
were  hovering  in  the  shadows  of  Notre  Dame. 
Presently  men  with  small  lighted  furnaces  moved 
in  and  out  among  the  groups  hidden  in  the 
shadowy  alcoves  of  the  great,  frowning  church. 
These  men  were  lighting  the  torches  of  their 
friends — the  first  torches  of  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, which  were  to  smoulder  for  nearly  a  cen- 
tury and  a  half,  and  then  to  burst  forth  in  a 
conflagration,  to  be  extinguished  only  by  a  del- 
uge of  blood.  The  streams  of  dark  red  light 
coming  from  the  black  wrinkles  of  old  Notre 
Dame  were  ominous  for  present  and  future,  and 
the  shadows  of  the  hideous  gargoyles  truly  were 
shadows  cast  before. 

When  the  mob  began  to  move  toward  the 
Palais  Royal,  the  rumble  of  a  thousand  voices 


64  THE  LITTLE  KING 

fell  like  the  roll  of  distant  thunder  on  sleeping 
Paris.  The  blood-red  light  of  the  resinous 
torches  illumined  the  faces  of  the  half  starved 
men,  giving  them  a  touch  of  horror,  as  if  a 
legion  of  gargoyles  had  taken  on  life  and  had 
come  down  from  the  waterspouts  and  turrets  of 
Notre  Dame,  or  as  if  Satan  had  loosed  a  myriad 
of  demons  in  the  Paris  streets. 

As  the  mob  approached  the  Palais  Royal,  the 
rumbling  smote  upon  the  ears  of  the  Queen  and 
the  Cardinal  like  the  knell  of  doom,  and  when 
one  of  the  Swiss  Guards  brought  word  that  all 
Paris  was  coming  with  torches,  shouts  and  im- 
precations, the  royal  heart  was  filled  with  fear, 
and  Cardinal  Mazarin  at  once  prepared  for 
flight.  But  it  was  too  late;  the  Palais  Royal 
was  surrounded. 

While  the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal  were  cring- 
ing in  fear,  the  Little  King  was  rejoicing,  for 
he  did  not  fear  the  mob,  and  knew  that  their 
shouts  would  bring  back  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

When  the  mob  reached  the  Palais  Royal,  it 
halted  before  the  gates  beneath  the  King's  win- 
dow, not  far  from  the  apartments  of  the 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  65 

Queen.  The  Swiss  Guards,  a  mere  handful  of 
men,  were  drawn  up  inside  the  gates,  ready  to 
give  their  lives  in  defense  of  the  Queen,  and,  as 
they  suposed,  of  the  King.  But  the  King  knew 
he  was  in  no  danger. 

The  purpose  of  the  mob  was  made  known 
by  Jean  Breton,  who  spoke  through  the  bars 
of  the  gate  to  the  Captain  of  the  Guards. 

"We  demand  that  Sweet  Mam'selle  be  lib- 
erated and  returned  to  the  King  at  once,"  said 
he.  "We  are  here  by  the  King's  command." 

"Vive  le  Roi !"  shouted  the  mob,  and  when  the 
noise  had  subsided,  Jean  Breton  continued: 

"Carry  our  message  to  the  Queen,  and  say 
that  if  the  King's  wishes  are  not  complied  with 
at  once — death  to  the  Cardinal!" 

"Death  to  the  Cardinal!"  shouted  the  mob, 
and  already  the  Cardinal  was  almost  dead  with  fear. 

The  demands  of  the  mob  were  communicated 
to  the  Queen,  the  Cardinal  and  the  King. 
When  the  Marquis  de  Villeroi  told  his  Majesty, 
the  Little  King  said: 

"Tell  the  Queen  that  the  mob  speaks  truly. 
It  is  here  by  my  command,  and  if  Sweet  Mam'- 

5 


66 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


D 

tl 


selle  is  not  returned  to  me,  safe  and  well,  within 
one  hour,  I  shall  rise  from  my  bed,  go  out 

on  the  balcony,  and  ask 
the  mob  to  beat  down 
the  gates  and  seize  the 
Cardinal.  If  Sweet 
Mam'selle  dies,  it  shall 
be  a  life  for  a  life. 
<  Tell  the  Captain  of  the 

KC/ii  Swiss    Guards    to    open 
•»«^j 

the  gates  at  the  end 

:  &*>-  — -^  of  one  hour  if  he  gets 

no  further  orders  from  me.  If  he  refuses,  his 
life  shall  pay  for  his  disobedience.  If  the  people 
of  Paris  do  not  save  Sweet  Mam'selle,  I  shall 
avenge  her.  I  am  king." 

And  so  he  was. 

The  Marquis  hurried  to  the  Queen,  and  when 
he  told  her  that  the  King  had  summoned  the 
mob,  she  was  lost  in  wonder. 

"How  could  the  King  have  communicated  with 
the  people?"  she  asked. 

"I  do  not  know,  your  Majesty,"  answered  the 
Marquis. 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  67 

"Did  you  carry  any  message  for  him?"  she 
demanded. 

"I    am    sure   your    Majesty   knows    I    did  not." 

She  knew  nothing  of  the  visits  of  the  Jew 
and  his  apprentice. 

The  Queen  summoned  the  Cardinal,  who  was 
only  too  glad  to  disperse  the  mob  on  any  terms, 
so  the  Marquis  de  Villeroi  was  recalled,  and  the 
Queen  said: 

"The  girl  must  be  returned  to  the  King.  I 
fear  we  were  too  hasty  in  removing  her.  She 
is  faithful  and  loves  him  with  a  whole  heart. 
Send  for  her  at  once." 

"Yes,  send  for  her  at  once,"  said  the  Car- 
dinal. "Perhaps  we  should  not  have  taken  her 
away." 

For  the  moment  a  gleam  of  kindness  seemed 
to  light  up  the  Cardinal's  face,  but  it  was 
prompted  by  policy,  and  his  acquiescence  was  the 
result  of  fear.  His  heart  was  untouched.  When 
the  Marquis  had  gone,  Mazarin  turned  toward  the 
Queen  saying:  "The  Coadjutor  is  behind  this 
mob.  It  shall  cost  him  his  head." 

But   it   is   pleasing   to   note   that   it   did   not. 


68 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


After  dispatching  a  messenger  to  fetch  Sweet 
Mam'selle,  the  Marquis  returned  to  the  King  and 
told  him  of  the  Queen's  order.  Then  the  Lit- 
tle King  said: 

"Say  to  the  people  that  the  Queen  has  granted 
their  petition,  but  ask  them  to  stay  here  until 
Sweet  Mam'selle  comes  back  to  me." 

The  king  had  had  a  long,  painful  reign  of 
nearly  two  days,  so  when  Sweet  Mam'selle  ran 
to  his  bedside,  all  his  kingliness  was  drowned  in 
a  flood  of  unregal,  childish,  joyful  tears. 

"Show     yourself     on     the     balcony     at     once," 
•pleaded    the    Marquis,    speak- 
ing  to    Sweet    Mam'selle    and 
drawing   her    to    the   window. 
"Yes,"  said  the  Little  King; 
"and     thank    the     people     for 
me.     Tell  them  to   go   home, 
—  —  and  that  when  I  am  crowned, 
I     shall     give     them     better 
thanks." 

So  Sweet  Mam'selle,  trying 
,to  dry  her  tears,  stepped 
through  the  window  to  the 


SWEET  MAM'SELLE'S  ROSARY  69 

balcony,  and  a  shout  went  up  to  Heaven  that  was 
as  different  from  the  earlier  rumblings  of  the  mob  as 
Heaven  itself  is  different  from  the  abode  of  darkness. 

The  Marquis  held  up  his  hand  for  silence, 
and  Sweet  Mam'selle  said,  in  a  trembling  voice: 

"The  Little  King  asks  me  to  say  that  when  he 
is  crowned  he  will  give  you  better  thanks,  but 
now  he  thanks  you  in  words  and  loves  you,  and 
asks  you  to  go  home." 

And  they  went  home,  for,  to  them,  Sweet 
Mam'selle  was  greater  than  the  Queen. 

When  Sweet  Mam'selle  and  the  Marquis  re- 
turned to  the  Little  King,  he  said: 

"I  thank  you,  M.  le  Marquis.     You  may  retire.'* 

When  the  door  closed  upon  him,  Sweet  Mam'- 
selle ran  to  the  King,  fell  on  her  knees,  covered 
her  face  with  her  hands,  and  wept,  while  the 
tears  of  a  child  stole  softly  down  the  cheeks  of 
the  Little  King  of  France. 

It  would  have  been  impossible  to  convince 
Sweet  Mam'selle  and  the  Little  King  that  their 
rosaries  had  not  turned  away  the  hand  of  Death 
and  their  faith  was  so  -beautiful  that  none  but  a 
very  hardened  person  would  have  tried. 


CHAPTER  III 
TWO   SMILES  AND   A   DUEL 

ALTHOUGH    the    Little    King's    face    was 
wonderfully    beautiful,    there   was  a    trace 
of    heaviness,     a     faint    shadowy    gloom, 
strangely  mingled  with   its   childishness  save   when 
he    smiled.     Then    it   lighted    up    as    the    demure 
somber  violet  takes  radiance   from  the  sun's  kiss. 
The  burdens  of  the  future,  the  heavy  burdens  of 
absolute   monarchy,   seemed   to   be  inuring  him   to 
their  weight  and  molding  him   for  their  purposes. 
This   strange   shadow  of  coming   events   seemed 
almost  uncanny  on  the   face  of  an  eight  year  old 
child  and  in  later  life   doubtless  helped  to  inspire 
that    awe    in   the    minds   of    men    which    won    for 
him  the  name    "Louis   Le   Grand." 

This  heavy  expression  was  at  times  almost  re- 
pellant,  but  his  rare  smile  made  ample  amends. 
It  was  the  silent  symphony  of  a  sad  heart  glad- 
dened. In  later  life  it  neutralized  his  frown 

TO 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  71 

and  caused  his  people  to  forget  that  he  was  a 
hard,  selfish  old  man.  When  he  said  "L'etat 
c'est  moi"  he  smiled,  and  the  world  admitted 
his  absurd  claim. 

The  Little  King's  smile  may  be  said  to  have 
made  its  first  state  appearance  when  it  saved 
the  Queen  Regent  from  a  Paris  mob,  on  the  day 
of  the  famous  duel  between  Maurice  de  Coligny 
and  the  Due  de  Guise. 

On  the  same  day  there  was  another  smile  by 
another  child.  From  the  other  side  of  life  came 
the  King's  little  friend,  Louise  Jarbeau — from 
squalor,  from  poverty,  from  the  wretchedly  poor 
of  Paris.  He  had  not  seen  her  since  the  day 
they  first  met  on  the  rivage  back  of  Notre  Dame 
— that  famous  Christmas  Day  when  he  and 
Sweet  Mam'selle  stole  away  from  the  Palais 
Royal  and  made  their  marvelous  journey  "down 
to  where  the  poor  people  live."  It  was  on  a 
day  late  in  spring  that  the  mob  attacked  the 
Queen,  and  Coligny  and  Guise  fought  their  duel. 

Sweet  Mam'selle  and  the  King  had  frequently 
talked  of  Louise  the  little  six  year  old  beauty  of  the 
rivage  and  he  had  often  sighed  for  her. 


72  THE  LITTLE  KING 

One  evening  nearly  a  year  before  the  events 
of  this  story,  Madame  de  Montbezon  gave  a 
fete  in  her  hotel  in  the  Rue  de  Bethisy.  During 
the  evening  two  unsigned  love  letters,  evidently 
written  by  a  lady,  were  dropped  by  a  gentleman 
of  the  party.  They  created  a  deal  of  scandal 
and  for  months  the  idle  minds  of  the  court  were 
busy  trying  to  learn  what  unfortunate  lovesick 
lady  had  written  them.  The  Due  de  Guise, 
head  of  the  greatest  house  in  France,  gave  it 
as  his  opinion  that  the  handwriting  resembled 
that  of  the  beautiful  Madame  de  Longueville. 
For  this  he  was  challenged  by  the  lady's  lover, 
Maurice  de  Coligny.  Coligny  was  of  the  house 
of  Chatillon  and  was  a  grandson  of  Admiral 
Coligny,  who  had  been  assassinated  by  the  Due 
de  Guise's  grandfather  on  St.  Bartholomew's  Day, 
two  generations  back.  Since  that  tragic  day  there 
had  been  feud  between  the  families,  and  Coligny 
was  glad  of  an  excuse  to  challenge  his  hereditary 
enemy. 

Guise  retracted  his  statement,  admitted  that  it 
was  made  without  good  reason,  and  offered  an 
apology  with  which  the  lady  was  entirely  satis- 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  73 

fied.  Not  so,  Coligny;  he  declared  that  nothing 
but  Guise's  life  would  satisfy  him,  so  the  Due 
was  forced  to  give  him  an  opportunity  to  take 
it — if  he  could.  The  result  was  one  of  the  most 
famous  duels  ever  fought  in  France  and  gave 
Louise  the  one  opportunity  of  her  life  to  smile 
en  etat.  She  took  advantage  of  the  occasion  and 
her  smile  was — but  it  will  come  as  it  properly 
should,  after  the  King's  smile. 

A  short  time  before  these  events  a  heavy  bur- 
den called  the  "House  Tax"  had  been  levied  on 
the  people  of  Paris,  which  had  caused  the  Queen 
Regent  and  Cardinal  Mazarin  to  be  hated  so 
bitterly  that  their  apearance  on  the  streets  had 
come  to  be  the  signal  for  a  hostile  demonstra- 
tion. An  old  woman's  cry,  a  child's  wail,  a 
drunken  man's  ravings  were  sufficient  to  incite 
a  mob  among  the  idle,  half  starved  people. 

As  a  result  of  these  conditions  the  Queen 
Regent  and  the  Cardinal  feared  to  pass  beyond 
the  protection  of  the  palace  gates  and  guards. 
Several  months  of  dreary  imprisonment  had 
caused  them  to  long  for  a  breath  of  fresh  air; 
therefore  late  in  the  spring  they  determined  to 


74  THE  LITTLE  KING 

take  the  Little  King  and  a  part  of  the  court 
to  the  Queen's  country  home  at  Rueil.  To  make 
the  journey  they  would  have  to  pass  through  the 
streets  of  Paris  and  they  dreaded  the  ordeal. 
The  Cardinal  recommended  going  by  night  or 
under  a  strong  guard,  but  the  Queen's  other  ad- 
visers suggested  that  it  would  not  be  wise  to 
allow  the  Parisians  to  know  that  Her  Majesty 
feared  them.  The  discontented  people  would  be- 
come dangerous  only  when  they  learned  their 
power. 

At  the  time  of  the  intended  journey  quiet  had 
reigned  in  Paris  for  several  weeks,  so  after  many 
consultations  the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal  deter- 
mined to  start  early  one  morning,  accompanied 
only  by  the  usual  guard  of  outriders,  and  to  go 
by  way  of  the  Porte  de  Vincennes,  that  being  the 
gate  nearest  the  Palais  Royal. 

Early  on  the  appointed  morning  the  court 
started  for  Reuil,  leaving  the  palace  gates 
one  carriage  at  a  time  to  avoid  attracting 
attention.  In  the  first  carriage  were  the  Little 
King  and  the  Queen  Regent  on  the  back  seat. 
Facing  them  on  the  front  seat  were  Madame  de 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  75 

Motteville  and  Sweet  Mam'selle.  The  Queen  did 
not  travel  in  the  golden  coach  of  state,  but  in  a 
modest  uncovered  carriage,  accompanied  by  four 
outriders  of  the  Swiss  Guards,  bearing  halberds. 
Three  or  four  hundred  yards  behind  the  royal 
carriage  came  the  Cardinal,  his  secretary,  the 
Queen's  Almoner  and  the  Marquis  de  Villeroi. 

All  went  well  till  they  approached  the  Porte 
de  Vincennes,  when  an  old  woman  began  to  fol- 
low the  royal  carriage,  shouting  invectives  against 
the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal  because  the  collec- 
tors of  the  House  Tax  were  robbing  the  people 
of  their  homes  and  were  snatching  the  very  food 
from  the  lips  of  the  starving. 

Trouble  might  have  been  averted  if  the  old 
woman  had  been  allowed  to  relieve  her  mind  and 
have  her  say,  but  the  Queen  grew  angry  and 
ordered  one  of  the  outriders  to  silence  her.  A 
blow  from  a  halberd  laid  the  old  woman  low, 
and  instantly  a  swarm  of  half  starved,  half 
crazed  demons  in  human  form  sprang  up  -  as  if 
from  the  dust  of  the  street  The  Swiss  Guards- 
men attacked  the  rioters  but  were  pulled  from 
their  horses  and  beaten  unmercifully. 


76  THE  LITTLE  KING 

After  the  brief  conflict  with  the  Guardsmen 
the  mob  turned  against  the  Queen  and  began  to 
gather  on  all  sides  of  the  carriage.  Just  at  the 
moment  when  it  seemed  that  the  Queen  would  be 
dragged  to  the  street,  the  Little  King  rose,  brave 
and  unmoved,  to  look  for  the  Cardinal.  In 
turning  he  saw  standing  near  the  carriage  wheel 
a  little  girl  in  whose  great  brown  eyes  and  be- 
dimpled  face  he  recognized  an  old  friend. 

"Ah,  there  is  Louise  Jarbeau,"  he  cried,  clap- 
ping his  hands  and  smiling  in  his  quaint  fashion, 
half  kingly,  half  childish.  The  smile  was  oil 
upon  the  waters  and  the  astonished  mob  paused 
to  gaze  in  admiration  at  the  Little  King's  beau- 
tiful face. 

"Oh,    there's    Fourteen!"    cried    Louise. 

Immediately  the  people  surrounding  the  car- 
riage turned  their  attention  to  the  ragged  little 
girl  who  was  exchanging  smiles  with  the  King  of 
France. 

Without  a  moment's  delay  the  Little  King 
opened  the  carriage  door,  sprang  to  the  ground, 
ran  to  Louise  and  embraced  his  long  lost  friend 
in  full  view  of  a  surprised  and  appreciative  audi- 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL 


77 


f 


tf 


ence.  He  had  acted 
solely  on  the  impulse  of 
the  moment,  but  if  he 
had  been  as  wise  as 
King  Solomon  and  had  L 
deliberately  studied  the 
situation  he  could  not  V 
have  taken  a  better  plan 
to  stay  the  mob's  wrath. 
i  Louise  and  her  parents 
had  moved  from  the 
rivage  several  months  before  and  were  living  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Porte  de  Vincennes, 
where  the  child  was  known  and  loved  by  every 
man  and  woman  in  the  quarter.  When  the  people 
saw  the  Little  King  embrace  her,  they  smiled 
and  soon  began  to  laugh.  When  he  took  her 
by  the  hand  in  his  courtly  fashion  and  led  her 
to  the  Queen,  they  began  to  wonder.  But  their 
wonder  turned  to  awe  when  he  lifted  her  to  the 
high  step  and  helped  her  into  the  royal  carriage. 
After  the  Little  King  and  Louise  had  climbed 
into  the  carriage,  he  stood  for  a  moment  hold- 
ing her  hand.  Then  he  looked  down  to  the 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


people,  smiled  and 
placed  his  arm  about 
her  neck,  when  a 
glad  shout  of  "Vive 
le  Roi!"  rent  the 
air  and  the  Queen 
knew  she  was  safe. 
The  Queen  turned 
to  look  for  the 
Cardinal's  carriage, 
but  it  had  disap- 
peared. His  Excel- 
lence had  fled  from  the  mob  and  had  started 
back  to  the  Palais  Royal  to  procure  help  for 
Her  Majesty,  as  he  afterwards  explained.  The 
Queen  ordered  the  postilions  to  drive  on,  and  as 
the  crowd  parted  she  gave  a  great  sigh  of  relief. 

Hardly  had  the   royal   carriage  begun  to  move 
when    a    woman    ran    to    the    steps,    crying: 
"Where  are  you   taking  my  child?" 
It   was   Mother   Louise.     The   Little   King   rec- 
ognized her   and   said: 

"We  shall  bring  her  back,    good   madam.     Do 
not    fear." 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  79 

Mother  Louise  did  fear,  however,  for  among 
other  absurd  stories  relating  to  the  Cardinal,  she 
had  heard  that  he  ate  little  children.  So  she 
followed  the  carriage  till  Sweet  Mam'selle  said: 
"We'll  take  good  care  of  Louise  and  bring 
her  back  well  and  happy  this  evening."  Then 
Mother  Louise,  though  not  entirely  without  fear, 
was  reassured. 

When    well    away    from    the    mob    the    Queen 
turned  to   Madame  de   Motteville,   saying: 

"Put    the    filthy    little    wretch    out    of    the    car- 
riage." 

Louise  turned  on  the  Queen,  her  great  eyes 
luminous  with  surprise  and  indignation.  No  one 
had  ever  before  called  her  "a  filthy  little  wretch." 
She  was  used  to  affection,  caresses  and  flattery. 
After  looking  the  Queen  over  in  a  contemptuous 
manner  quite  new  to  Her  Majesty,  Louise  said: 
"Are  your  Fourteen's  mother?  Is  your  name 
Anne?" 

"Diable!"  cried  the  Queen.     "Put  her  out  this 
instant !" 

"I    am   not    a    devil   child!"    cried   Louise,   her 
eyes   ablaze   with    anger. 


8o  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"If  Louise  goes  out  of  the  carriage,  I  go, 
too,"  said  the  Little  King,  his  face  almost  ugly, 
lacking  the  smile. 

"What?"  demanded  the  Queen.  "Why  do  you 
keep  her?" 

"Because  she  has  just  saved  you  from  the  mob, 
and — and — because  I  like  her.  It  is  the  King's  com- 
mand that  she  remain  and  that  is  sufficient  reason." 

He  looked  every  inch  a  king  as  he  stood  wait- 
ing for  his  remark  to  have  its  full  effect.  In  a 
moment  he  continued: 

"She  is  Louise  Jarbeau,  the  little  girl  I  met 
on  the  rivage  Christmas  Day.  She  taught  me 
the  meaning  of  the  word  'Christmas.'  'But  we 
are  more  blessed  when  we  give,'  eh,  Louise? 
You  taught  me  the  song,  didn't  you?" 

"Yes,"  began  Louise,  more  than  willing  to 
sing  the  whole  song.  "  'We  thank  good  St. 
Nicholas  for  all — ' '  But  the  Queen  interrupted  her. 

"She   gave   you   the   smallpox,    too." 

"I  did  not,"  protested  Louise,  indignantly,  em- 
phatically. "I-  had  it  long  before  I  ever  saw 
Fourteen,  when  I  was  a  little  girl.  Mother 
Louise  told  me  so." 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  811 

The  Queen  being  a  Spaniard,  was  lacking  in 
humor,  but  Sweet  Mam'selle  and  Madame  de 
Mottville  could  not  help  laughing  at  Louise's 
fighting  spirit.  Presently  the  Queen  smiled  despite 
her  effort  to  remain  angry  and  seemed  to  unbend 
toward  her  little  antagonist. 

Louise  was  not  to  be  mollified.     Dropping  her 
long    black    lashes    and    pouting    exquisitely,     she 
proceeded  to    annihilate   her   enemy. 

"People  like  you,  with  only  one  name,  haven't 
any  right  to  abuse  a  little  girl  who  has  two 
names,  and  her  mother  two  names  and  her  fa- 
ther two  names,  and  even  her  sister  two  names. 
I  know  you.  Your  name's  Anne  and  that's  all 
the  name  you  have,  and  I  don't  like  you  even 
if  you  are  Fourteen's  mother." 

The  respect  that  Madame  de  Motteville  and 
Sweet  Mam'selle  felt  for  the  Queen  did  not  help 
them  to  smother  their  laughter.  The  Little 
King,  too,  laughed,  and  the  Queen,  finding  her- 
self vanquished,  began  to  soften.  She  smiled 
graciously,  and  Louise,  magnanimous  in  victory, 
dropped  the  long  lashes  for  a  moment,  then 
raised  her  great  brown  eyes  to  Her  Majesty. 

6 


82  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"I  do  like  you  and  I  am  sorry  I  was  a  bad 
girl,"  she  said  by  way  of  apology. 

"Perhaps  I  was  a  bad  woman,"  answered  the 
Queen. 

Louise's  victory  was  complete,  and  peace  was 
declared  when  Her  Majesty  lifted  the  child  to 
her  lap  and  kissed  the  rosy  little  face.  Louise 
rubbed  the  kiss  away  and  began  to  relieve  her 
mind  on  many  interesting  topics,  much  to  the 
amusement  of  the  elder  portion  of  her  audience 
and  greatly  to  the  Little  King's  delight,  for  to 
him  her  babble  was  as  the  music  of  one  of  the 
rivers  that  flowed  out  of  Paradise. 

Soon  after  the  reconciliation  between  the  Queen 
and  Louise  the  carriage  turned  into  the  Rue 
Saint-Antoine  and  came  up  with  the  Cardinal 
who  had  waited  a  short  distance  below  the  Rue 
Royale.  After  a  consultation  it  was  determined 
to  postpone  the  visit  to  Rueil  till  another  day,  so 
the  Cardinal  drove  on  towards  the  Palais  Royal 
and  the  Queen  followed. 

When  their  Majesties  reached  the  Rue  Royale 
— a  short  street  leading  from  the  Rue  Saint-An- 
toine to  the  Place  Royale — Madame  de  Motte- 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  83 

ville  suggested  that  they  stop  and  pay  a  visit  to 
Madame  de  Sable,  whose  hotel  was  in  the  Place 
Royale  near  by. 

The  Place  Royale  was  built  on  three  sides  of 
an  oblong  court,  and  the  houses  were  occupied 
by  some  of  the  most  distinguished  persons  of  the 
French  nobility.  The  plaza  was  a  paved  open 
space  in  the  center  of  which  there  was  a  smooth 
well-kept  lawn  surrounding  an  equestrian  statute 
of  the  late  king,  Louis  XIII.  The  plaza  was 
used  frequently  for  small  public  entertainments 
and  had  been  the  scene  of  many  a  duel. 

As  an  argument  in  favor  of  stopping,  Madame 
de  Motteville  said: 

"Madame  de  Sable  is  very  entertaining  and 
something  is  always  happening  in  the  Place  Roy- 
ale.  I  heard  that  something  of  great  importance 
would  occur  there  to-day." 

The  Queen  hesitated,  saying: 

"I  fear  we  should  return  to  the  Palais  Royal, 
but  as  you  say,  Madame  de  Sable  always  has  an 
interesting  budget  of  scandal,  and — and. — What 
is  apt  to  happen  in  the  Place  Royale  to-day?" 

"I   am  not  at  all  sure,  but  I  believe  the  Due 


84  THE  LITTLE  KING 

de  Guise  and  M.  de  Coligny  meet  there  to  settle 
their  quarrel.  M.  le  Rochefoucauld's  valet  said — " 

"Let  us  drive  in,  by  all  means!"  cried  the 
Queen.  "There  will  be  seconds,  probably  thirds 
and  fourths.  Dleu!  It  will  be  a  battle  rather 
than  a  duel!  These  men  hate  each  other,  and 
there  will  be  no  mercy  on  either  side.  We 
may  see  it  from  Madame  de  Sable's  windows. 
We'll  draw  the  curtains  and  no  one  will  know 
that  we  are  there." 

So  the  postilions  were  ordered  to  drive  to 
the  Place  Royale. 

Madame  de  Sable  welcomed  the  Queen  heart- 
ily, and  when  she  saw  Louise,  fell  to  her  knees 
before  her,  exclaiming : 

"Where  did  Your  Majesty  find  this  little  beauty? 
Beauty  in  rags  it  is,  truly  enough!" 

The  story  was  soon  told.  Then  Madame  de 
Sable  gave  Louise  a  kiss,  which  Louise  stealthily 
brushed  away  as  she  nestled  toward  her  new-found 
friend. 

After  the  Queen's  wraps  had  been  removed 
she  sat  down  near  a  window  and  graciously  asked 
Madame  de  Motteville  and  Madame  de  Sable  to 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  85 

be  seated.  The  King  being  present,  the  two 
ladies  sat  on  hassocks,  a  number  of  which  were 
always  kept  in  every  room  likely  to  be  visited 
by  His  Majesty.  It  is  hard  to  understand  the 
distinction  made  during  the  Old  Regime  between 
sitting  on  a  chair  and  on  a  hassock  in  the  King's 
presence  unless  the  low  seat  gave  the  impression 
of  humility.  Ladies  of  exalted  birth  took  chairs 
at  the  King's  request,  but  those  of  lower  degree 
were  satisfied  with  the  humble  hassock. 

At  any  rate,  Louise  did  not  appreciate  the  dis- 
tinction, so  she  pushed  a  chair  over  to  the  Little 
King,  climbed  into  it  and  indicated  by  her  manner 
that  she  was  ready  to  talk.  Her  babble  was  so 
sweet  and  interesting  that  she  had  always  found 
every  one  eager  to  listen.  To  talk  was  to  Louise 
a  part  of  the  process  of  "being  good,"  and  on 
this  occasion  she  wished  to  be  more  than  good — 
she  would  be  gracious. 

When  she  climbed  into  the  chair  the  Queen 
cried  out:  "Oh,  oh!  Has  the  child  no  sense  of 
propriety?" 

"You  must  not  sit  down,"  said  Madame  de 
Sable,  gently  taking  Louise  by  the  hand  and  draw- 


66  THE  LITTLE  KING 

ing  her  from  the  chair.     Every  one  in  the   room 
laughed,    and    Louise,    too,    laughed,    not    because 
she  saw   anything   funny,  but  because   she   wanted 
to  be  agreeable.     She  was  so  delighted  to  see  her 
beloved  Fourteen  again  that  she  was  on  her  best 
behavior,  and  Louise's  best  behavior,  with  its  eager- 
ness to  please,  its  smiles,  its  dimples  and  its  little 
feminine   affectations   was   well  worth    beholding. 
After  a  moment's  silence,  Louise  said: 
"I'm  tired.     Why  may  I  not  sit  down?" 
"Because  the  King  is  present,"  explained  Madame 
de  Sable,   laughing   softly. 

"The  King?"  queried  Louise,  groping  in  the 
haze  of  entire  non-comprehension  and  looking  about 
the  room  anxiously.  Louise's  ideas  of  a  king 
were  crude  and  ill-defined,  but  she  had  gathered 
from  what  she  had  heard  that  a  king  was  a  huge, 
frightful  monster,  desperately  ugly  and  always  to  be 
feared.  Former  reference  to  Fourteen  as  "the  King" 
she  considered  entirely  in  the  light  of  a  jest,  for 
he  was  beautiful  beyond  all  others  she  had  ever 
seen  and  certainly  was  not  huge  nor  to  be  feared. 

After  looking  about  the  room  for  a  moment  in 
search  of  the  king,  Louise's  eyes  fell  upon  a 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  87, 

large,  grotesque  figure  of  a  Cingalese  god,  and 
she  supposed  she  had  found  the  monster  so  dreaded 
by  the  people. 

This  distinction  was  made  by  the  King's  sub- 
jects: they  loved  the  child  Louis,  but  they  hated 
the  King,  for  to  them  the  King  was  the  Queen 
Regent  and  the  Cardinal,  to  whom  France  owed 
all  her  trouble. 

When  Louise  saw  the  Cingalese  god,  she  shud- 
dered, laughed  nervously  and  said  with  evidence 
of  trepidation: 

"Well,  the  King  is  mighty  ugly." 

Every  one   save   the   Queen  laughed. 

She  was  silent,  for  Louise  had  committed  lese- 
majesty  in  its  most  flagrant  form.  After  an  em- 
barrassing silence  the  Queen  said: 

"If  the  child  does  not  know,  she  should  be 
taught  what  is  due  to  His  Majesty." 

Here  the  Little  King  interrupted  his  mother 
impatiently : 

"She  thinks  that  thing  is  the  King,"  he  said, 
laughing.  "She  doesn't  know  who  the  King  is 
and  I  don't  want  her  to  know.  I  am  Fourteen. 
Here,  Louise,  sit  down  again." 


88  THE  LITTLE  KING 

The  Little  King  drew  her  chair  close  beside 
his  own,  rose  and  took  Louise  by  the  hand.  She 
hesitated,  cast  a  frightened  glance  toward  the 
Cingalese  god  and  looked  inquiringly  at  Madame 
de  Sable,  who  in  turn  looked  inquiringly  at  the 
Queen.  No  one  spoke  and  Louise  still  hesitated. 
The  Little  King  turned  angrily  to  his  mother, 
exclaiming: 

"Who  is  king  of  France?" 

The  Queen  rose  hastily  and  said  to  Louise: 
"You  may  be  seated.  The  King  commands  it." 

"No.  Fourteen  commands  it,"  insisted  the  Little 
King,  smiling,  yet  very  much  in  earnest. 

"Yes,  yes,  Fourteen  commands  it,"  said  the 
Queen,  correcting  herself  by  an  effort.  Then  the 
Little  King  led  Louise  to  her  chair,  bowed  and 
said: 

"Permit  me." 

When  she  was  seated  he  sat  down  beside  her, 
and  presently  the  smile  came  to  his  face  again, 
making  every  one  happy. 

'After  a  long,  awkward  silence,  Louise  turned 
her  beaming  face  toward  the  King,  exclaiming 
softly:  "Fourteen!" 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  89 

It  was  only  one  word,  but  it  was  spoken  with 
a  little  sigh  that  expressed  so  much  admiration 
and  affection  that  all  hearts,  even  the  Queen's, 
warmed  to  the  child  for  the  sake  of  her  deep, 
unconscious  loyalty.  The  Little  King  took  her 
hand  and  Louise  continued: 

"I  thought  I  was  never  going  to  see  you  again. 
Mother  Louise  prays  for  you  every  night  and  at 
every  shrine,  because  you  got  Father  Pierre  out  of 
the  Prison  Sur  le  Pont." 

Louise  was  climbing  to  the  hearts  of  her  audi- 
ence by  leaps  and  bounds.  Presently  Madame 
de  Sable  drew  her  hassock  over  beside  her  and 
said  coaxingly : 

"Won't  you  please  tell  me  your  name  and 
then  'I'll  take  you  upstairs  and  have  your  face 
washed." 

"I  don't  want  my  face  washed,"  replied  Louise 
emphatically,  "but  my  name  is  Louise — Louise 
Jarbeau."  Then  her  face  lighted  up  as  she  glanced 
triumphantly  from  Fourteen  to  the  Queen,  and 
continued:  "I  have  two  names.  So  has  Mother 
Louise.  When  Father  Pierre  was  in  prison  he 
had  a  number  like — "  She  nodded  her  head 


90  THE  LITTLE  KING 

toward    the     King.     Much    to    her    astonishment 
every  one   laughed,  so   she,   too,  laughed. 

When  all  was  quiet  again  the  King  tried  to 
tell  the  story  of  his  first  meeting  with  Louise, 
but  talking  was  not  his  strong  point,  so  he  turned 
to  Sweet  Mam'selle  and  asked  her  to  finish  the 
narrative.  With  the  Queen's  permission,  Sweet 
Mam'selle  told  the  story  of  the  Christmas  Day 
on  the  rivage,  including  Louise's  song,  her  offer 
to  give  the  Little  King  her  beloved  doll,  and 
the  release  of  Father  Pierre  from  the  Prison  Sur 
le  Pont.  She  was  careful,  however,  to  conceal 
her  own  part  in  Father  Pierre's  release,  and  made 
it  appear  that  the  act  of  mercy  had  been  all 
the  King's.  She  used  the  words  "Sire"  and  "His 
Majesty"  in  speaking  of  the  Little  King,  so  that 
Louise  might  not  understand,  though  it  would 
have  been  impossible  to  convince  her  that  Four- 
teen and  the  King  were  one  and  the  same  person. 

After  Sweet  Mam'selle's  recital,  Madame  de 
Sable  and  Madame  de  Motteville  ran  to  the 
Little  King,  knelt  before  him,  kissed  his  hand, 
praised  his  goodness  and  prophesied  great  things 
for  France  when  he  should  come  to  rule.  Louise 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  91 

had  received  a  great  deal  of  adulation  in  her 
brief  life,  but  this  went  so  far  beyond  her 
experience  that  she  was  a  bit  jealous,  so  she 
leaned  back  in  her  chair  and  was  inclined  to  pout 
until  the  ladies  laughingly  knelt  before  her.  Then 
she  smiled  and  was  happy  once  more. 

Hardly  had  the  ladies  risen  when  the  clatter 
of  horse's  hoofs  and  the  rumble  of  heavy  wheels 
were  heard  in  the  Rue  Royale.  Louise  and  her 
affairs  were  forgotten  at  once,  and  the  ladies 
hurried  to  the  windows,  drawing  the  curtains 
together  and  eagerly  watching  the  courtyard. 

The  room  in  which  Madame  de  Sable  had 
received  her  guests  was  on  the  first  floor,  and 
the  windows  opened  on  a  narrow  balcony  from 
which  it  was  but  a  low  step  to  the  pavement. 
Louise,  whose  curiosity  was  none  the  less  because 
she  herself  was  small,  having  been  unable  to 
secure  an  advantageous  outlook  at  the  windows 
occupied  by  the  ladies,  sought  a  window  for  her- 
self at  the  further  end  of  the  room,  where  she 
awaited  developments. 

The  audience  that  had  assembled  in  the  win- 
dows of  the  Place  Royale  had  not  long  to  wait. 


92  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Presently  four  men  in  gorgeous  costumes  came 
from  the  coaches  on  the  Rue  Royale,  entered 
the  paved  court  and  hastened  toward  the  grass 
plot  at  the  king's  statue.  One  of  these  men,  the 
Due  de  Guise,  wore  a  costume  of  blue  velvet, 
richly  embroidered  with  gold  lace  and  studded 
with  precious  stones.  On  reaching  the  grass  plot 
he  threw  his  cloak  to  the  ground,  then  removing 
his  short  doublet  or  waistcoat,  placed  it  beside 
his  cloak  and  stood  in  his  shirt-sleeves  ready  for 
the  fray.  The  richly  embroidered  doublet  caught 
Louise's  eye  and  filled  her  soul  with  covetousness. 
With  the  Due  de  Guise  was  his  second,  the  Mar- 
quis le  Bridieu.  Standing  at  a  little  distance 
were  Coligny  and  his  second,  the  Comte  d'Es- 
trades,  all  in  their  shirt-sleeves,  their  rich  ap- 
parel scattered  about  them  on  the  grass. 

The  Due  de  Guise  was  a  large,  strong  man. 
Coligny  was  smaller  and  was  recovering  from  an 
attack  of  fever.  He  appeared  to  be  no  match 
for  Guise.  He  was,  however,  an  accomplished 
swordsman,  and  having  been  successful  in  many 
duels,  where  the  odds  had  seemed  greatly  against 
him,  his  vanity  now  led  him  to  believe  that  he 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  93 

could  easily  kill  his  apparently  superior  antag- 
onist. 

Unlike  the  seconds  in  latter  day  duels,  whose 
duty  was  only  to  speak  for  their  principals  and 
to  see  fair  play,  those  of  the  seventeenth  century 
fought  each  other  as  bitterly  as  if  the  quarrel 
had  been  between  themselves.  At  that  time  the 
duel  was  not  a  spectacular  display  in  which  a 
drop  of  blood  gave  satisfaction,  but  an  affair  of 
death. 

The  men  stood  testing  their  swords,  bending 
them  with  points  on  the  earth  and  twanging  them 
in  the  air,  till  Coligny's  second  gave  the  signal 
that  he  and  his  principal  were  ready.  Still  Guise 
did  not  lift  his  sword-point  from  the  ground, 
which  should  have  been  the  responding  signal. 
Instead  he  spoke  to  his  second,  who  went  sword- 
less  to  d'Estrades  and  said  that  M.  le  Due  again 
offered  his  apology.  After  consulting  with  his 
principal  d'Estrades  gave  answer  in  one  word: 
"No."  Then  the  four  men  at  once  took  their 
stand  opposite  each  other,  perhaps  thirty  feet  apart, 
where  they  stood  with  sword-points  resting  on  the 
ground.  After  a  few  seconds  of  heavy  silence, 


94 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


de  Bridieu  lifted  his  sword  in  the  air.  The 
others  did  likewise  and  immediately  started  with 
measured  tread,  each  man  toward  his  foe. 


When  within  two  yards  of  each  other  the 
antagonists  paused,  each  intently  watching  the 
eyes  of  the  man  before  him.  Then  like  a  flash 
the  sword  blades  shot  forth,  met  with  a  clash 
and  a  stream  of  sparks  and  the  battle  was 
on. 

The  Little  King  and  the  ladies  at  Madame 
de  Sable's  window  watched  the  duel  with  eager 
interest,  and  though  the  principals  and  the  sec- 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  95 

onds   were    their    friends,    seemed    to    enjoy   it   as 
much  as   if  it  had  been  a  play. 

"Coligny  has  appointed  the  day  of  his  death," 
whispered  Madame  de  Sable  to  the  Queen 

"Yes,"  answered  Her  Majesty.  "But  if  he  is 
so  great  a  fool  as  to  furnish  the  entertainment 
for  us,  it  is  his  affair,  not  ours.  He  fights  only 
to  show  the  ladies  how  brave  he  is.  If  his 
family  had  always  been  as  wise  as  it  has  been 
brave,  it  would  now  be  the  greatest  house  in 
France  and  the  French  people  would  all  be  Hugue- 
nots. The  house  of  Chatillon  has  always  failed 
when  pitted  against  the  house  of  Guise." 

When  the  first  clash  came  Coligny  fell  back 
a  few  steps  before  Guise,  but  soon  recovered 
himself  and  attacked  the  Due  with  great  fury, 
driving  him  back  almost  to  the  steps  of  the 
king's  monument. 

"Ah  Dieu,  'Sieur  Bleu!  Fight,  fight!"  cried 
Louise,  talking  to  herself.  She  had  seen  many 
a  street  fight,  and  had  witnessed  more  than  one 
duel  in  the  Bois  de  Vincennes. 

"Bravo,  Coligny!"  whispered  Madame  de  Motte- 
ville.  "Your  day  has  not  yet  come!" 


96  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"Guise  is  but  saving  himself  till  he  gets  his 
wind  and  until  Coligny  loses  his,"  remarked  the 
Queen.  "Don't  you  see  that  Guise  is  fighting 
easily?  del!  That  was  for  the  heart.  Good 
thrust,  Coligny.  But  save  yourself!  You're 
almost  exhausted.  Soon  Guise  will  stick  you  as  if 
you  were  a  pig.  How  pale  Coligny  is,  and 
breathing  like  a  wind-broken  horse  already.  As 
usual  he  is  playing  the  fool.  There,  there!  See 
how  Guise  beats  him  back  at  will." 

Suddenly  the  Queen  rose  and  clasped  her  hands 
exclaiming:  "Ah  Dieu!  See  that  child — what  is 
her  name?  Louise — there,  sitting  on  the  steps  of 
the  statue  like  the  mask  of  comedy  laughing  at 
death !  How  did  she  get  there  ?  She's  almost 
under  their  feet.  Peste!  She  is  in  their  way. 
Yes,  it  is  drizzling  and  she  has  thrown  the 
Due's  doublet  over  her  shoulders!  Ah,  the  little 
wretch!  But  she  is  droll." 

Louise,  wishing  a  nearer  view  of  the  contest, 
had  slipped  out  through  the  window  to  the  balcony 
and  had  run  across  the  pavement  to  find  a  seat 
on  the  steps  of  the  statue.  As  the  Queen  had 
said,  rain  had  begun  to  fall,  and  Louise,  having 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  97 

appropriated  the  coveted  blue  doublet,  was  sitting, 
greatly  interested,  in  the  midst  of  the  fray. 

Meantime  the  principals  and  seconds  were  fighting 
desperately.  Now  and  then  the  knell-like  click- 
ing of  the  swords  would  cease  for  an  instant 
while  the  duelists  watched  each  other's  eyes,  wait- 
ing for  an  opening.  Then  came  a  faint  click  or 
two,  followed  by  a  thrilling  rattle  of  steel  and 
an  occasional  flash  of  sparks.  In  the  midst  of 
it  all  sat  Louise,  unmoved  and  very  happy. 

Presently  when  Guise  saw  that  Coligny  was 
growing  weak,  he  began  in  earnest,  and  the 
scene  was  terrible  to  behold.  Doom  was  written 
on  Coligny's  pale  face,  but  he  kept  on  fighting 
desperately,  though  his  thrusts  were  growing  weaker 
each  moment.  Soon  his  attack  ceased  altogether, 
and  his  waning  strength  was  given  entirely  to 
his  guard  in  the  vain  hope  of  keeping  Guise's 
glittering  sword-point  from  his  heart.  He  had 
changed  places  with  the  Due  and  had  retreated 
backward  step  by  step  till  he  was  almost  at  the 
foot  of  the  statue  where  Louise  was  sitting. 
Neither  he  nor  Guise  had  noticed  her. 

Louise,   fearing  that  she  and  the  beautiful  blue 

7 


98  THE  LITTLE  KING 

doublet  might  be  trampled  on,  rose  to  seek  a 
place  of  safety.  In  so  doing  she  ran  behind 
Coligny,  who  in  taking  a  step  backward  stumbled 
against  her.  In  trying  to  recover  himself  he 
slipped  and  fell  to  his  knee.  Under  the  laws 
of  dueling  at  that  time,  Guise  had  the  right  to 
kill,  and  with  that  intention  deliberately  brought 
his  sword-point  over  Coligny's  heart.  At  the 
same  instant  he  saw  the  droll  figure  of  Louise 
wearing  his  blue  doublet  hurrying  away  behind 
Coligny.  She  turned  and  smiled.  The  Due  smiled. 
Then  he  put  his  foot  on  Coligny's  sword  and 
slapped  him  lightly  on  the  cheek  with  the  flat 
of  his  own  blade,  saying: 

"I  do  not  intend  to  kill  you,  but  to  treat 
you  as  you  deserve  for  having  addressed  your- 
self to  a  prince  of  my  birth  without  provocation." 

Guise  stepped  back,  Coligny  rose  to  his  feet, 
snatched  his  sword  from  the  ground  and  again 
attacked  the  Due.  Guise  had  lost  his  anger  in 
Louise's  smile,  so  he  seized  Coligny's  sword  with 
his  left  hand  and  passed  his  own  through  his 
adversary's  sword  arm,  placing  him  hors  de  combat. 
Then  he  separated  the  seconds,  both  of  whom 


TWO  SMILES  AND  A  DUEL  99 

were  wounded,  and  the  last  great  duel  ever  fought 
in  the  Place  Royale  ended  happily  because  of  a 
child's  smile. 

When  the  Queen  and  the  Little  King  left 
Madame  de  Sable's  they  took  Louise  Jarbeau 
with  them  to  the  Palais  Royal.  There  she  was 
introduced  to  a  world  as  distasteful  as  it  was 
new  to  her,  so  with  the  true  instinct  of  Eve,  she 
proceeded  to  make  as  much  trouble  as  possible 
as  quickly  as  possible. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE   LITTLE   KING   LOST   IN   PARIS 

ALTHOUGH  Louise  Jarbeau  was  accus- 
tomed to  quick  transitions,  and  despite 
the  fact  that  she  had  lived  but  six  brief 
years,  usually  found  nothing  to  surprise  her  in 
great  and  rapid  changes,  her  sudden  rise  from 
the  streets  of  Paris  to  the  Palais  Royal  was 
more  than  she  could  or  would  endure  without 
remonstrance.  The  court  children  seemed  to  her 
like  fancifully  dressed  dolls  and  the  courtiers  lost 
their  identity  as  men  and  women  in  the  blinding 
colors  of  their  costumes. 

As  mere  costumes,  Louise  knew  them  all  by 
sight,  having  seen  them  time  and  again  in  the 
pawnbroker's  show  windows  or  in  the  second- 
hand clothing  shops  back  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville 
and  on  the  narrow  streets  off  the  Rue  des  Petits- 
Champs. 

Shortly  after  entering  the  Palais   Royal   Louise 


TOO 


LOST  IN  PARIS  101 

announced  her  intention  to  go  home,  but  the 
Little  King  wanted  her  to  stay,  so,  Sweet  Mam- 
'sell  promising  to  take  her  home  early  in  the 
evening,  she  reluctantly  consented  to  remain. 

They  gave  her  a  fine  dinner  from  the  King's 
table,  but  she  did  not  like  the  strange  food. 
Above  all  she  did  not  take  kindly  to  the  knife 
and  fork.  She  was  afraid  she  would  cut  her- 
self with  the  knife  and  flatly  refused  to  use  the 
fork,  saying:  "I  just  know  I'll  be  jagged  all 
over  my  face  if  I  try  to  eat  with  that  sharp 
thing."  So  she  threw  them  both  away  and  pro- 
ceeded to  eat  her  dinner  in  comparative  comfort 
with  the  implements  God  had  given  her — her 
fingers. 

After  dinner  her  face  and  hands  were  washed, 
much  to  her  disgust,  and  again  she  wanted  to 
go  home  to  Mother  Louise,  who,  she  declared, 
washed  her  face  only  mornings  and  evenings. 
During  the  afternoon  she  grew  restless  and  began 
to  complain  to  Sweet  Mam'selle  of  the  ladies 
and  children  who  crowded  about  her,  asking  foolish 
questions  and  still  worse,  kissing  her.  Tears  came 
to  her  eyes,  for  with  all  her  strange  precocity! 


102 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


born    of    self-dependence    and    knowledge    of    the 
world,   Louise   was   still   a  baby. 

The  Little  King,  seeing  her  distress,  suggested 
that  he  and  Louise  be  allowed  to  go  down  to 
the  King's  garden.  This  suited  Louise,  so  she 
brushed  away  the  tears  and  submitted  graciously 
to  the  ordeal  of  being  kissed  before  she  went. 
The  Queen  consented,  telling  Sweet  Mam'selle  to 
rjjjjp-i  •  /  watch  the  two  children 
{FHyh^K?  from  the  King's  win- 


",-5-   t. 


dow. 


So  the  Little  King, 
te^*  holding  up  Louise's 
hand  as  if  they  were 

'7^W7;'  „  .  ,  , 

««"V  walking  through  a  co- 
tillion, led  her  to  the 
garden  where  they  ram- 
bled about  rather  stiff- 
ly, Louise  thought, 
among  the  flowers  and  bushes. 

When  the  Little  King  had  taken  Louise  to 
every  nook  and  corner  of  the  small  garden,  he 
graciously  asked  her  to  be  seated  and  sat  down 
beside  her  on  a  bench  in  the  shade  of  a  lilac 


LOST  IN  PARIS  103 

bush.     After  a  short  silence  she  spoke,  with  a  sigh: 

"This  is  a  nice  place,  but  it  isn't  so  nice  as 
the  street." 

"Of  course  not,"  agreed  the  Little  King,  with 
a  far  deeper  sigh.  "But  if  you  had  to  stay  up 
there  all  the  time  as  I  do,"  (he  nodded  toward 
the  palace)  "you  would  think  this  place  very 
nice  indeed." 

"Yes,  oh,  yes,"  sighed  Louise,  her  heart  full 
of  pity  for  unfortunate  Fourteen.  He  was  not  to 
be  blamed  because  he  had  to  live  in  a  big,  dark, 
cold  house  like  a  prison.  So,  after  a  long  pause 
she  continued  apologetically:  "And  this  is  nice, 
too,  but  it  is  so  lonesome,  and — and  the  stillness 
is — is  so  loud.  No  horses,  no  carts,  no  boys,  no 
girls,  no  dogs,  no  goats,  no  cats, — no  anything. 
Oh,  my!" 

"Yes,  it  is  lonesome,  oh,  so  lonesome,"  returned 
the  Little  King  with  a  sigh  born  of  ennui.  "I 
stay  there  in  the  palace  all  day  and  then  all  day 
and  then  all  day,  just  looking  out  the  windows, 
till  I  sometimes  want  to  die." 

"You  don't  live  there  all  the  time,  do  you?" 
asked  Loviise,  pityingly. 


104  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"Yes,  all  the  time,"  he  answered.  "I  am  the 
King,  you  know." 

The  last  statement  was  a  slip;  he  had  not 
intended  to  tell  her  he  was  the  King. 

Louise  laughed  and  said:  "Well,  I'd  hate  to 
think  you  were.  You're  such  a  funny  boy.  You 
don't  know  what  kings  are  like.  You  are  not 
at  all  like  a  king.  Maybe  you  didn't  see  that 
king  at  the  other  place — at  the  first  house  we 
went  into?" 

Louise  paused,  wondering  why  Fourteen  kept 
up  the  absurd  jest,  for  in  her  opinion  he  was 
as  far  from  being  a  king  as  it  was  possible  for 
any  one  to  be.  He  was  the  nicest  boy  she  had 
ever  known,  and  was  beautiful,  too,  so  how 
could  he  be  a  king — a  horrid  monster,  a  child- 
eating  bogey.  The  grotesque  Cingalese  god  she 
had  seen  at  Madame  de  Sable's  was  entirely  in 
accord  with  her  conceptions  and  would  always 
remain  her  idea  of  a  king. 

The  King  realized  that  there  was  something 
wrong  in  Louise's  notions  of  royalty,  but  he  could 
not  find  the  error,  so  he  remained  silent,  and 
after  a  long  pause,  she  continued: 


LOST  IN  PARIS  105 

"Now,  if  there  were  a  whole  lot  of  boys  like 
you,  and  if  you  didn't  have  on  your  mass  clothes 
all  the  time,  it  wouldn't  be  so  lonesome,  don't 
you  know  ?" 

No,  he  did  not  know,  so  he  answered  hesitat- 
ingly: "I — I  don't  believe  I  understand." 

There  were  many  boys  about  the  palace,  in- 
cluding his  brother,  who  was  called  "Monsieur"; 
still  the  King  was  lonesome. 

"Why,  you  see,  if  there  were  a  lot  of  boys 
like  you,  and  a  few  girls  like  me,  and  some  dogs 
and  maybe  some  goats,  we  could  play  hide  and 
seek." 

"We  could  wha — what?"  stammered  the  Little 
King. 

"Why,  we  could  play  hide  and  seek,  and 
catcher,  and  marbles  if  we  had  any  marbles  to- 
play  with,  and  wolf,  and  anything  we  wanted 
to  play." 

The  Little  King  was  silent.  He  did  not  know 
what  Louise  was  talking  about,  though  there  was; 
a  sweet,  vague  suggestiveness  in  what  she  said 
that  thrilled  him. 

Louise   saw    his    trouble    and    tried    to    explain 


106  THE  LITTLE  KING 

the  processes  of  hide  and  seek.  After  several 
efforts  she  found  she  could  not  do  so  in  words, 
but  she  could  show  him  how  the  game  was 
played,  so  she  said: 

"Shut  your  eyes  tight  and  put  your  hands  over 
your  face  till  I  cry,  'Seek  me.*  Then  you  find 
me." 

The  proposition  seemed  absurd  to  the  Little 
King,  but  he  obeyed,  and  when  Louise  called 
he  started  out  to  seek  her.  When,  after  a  long 
search,  he  found  her  hidden  in  a  large  empty  flower 
vase,  he  understood  the  game  and  knew  why  it 
was  enjoyable.  Louise  laughed  and  clapped  her 
hands,  and  Louis  smiled,  which  was  his  kingly 
substitute  for  a  laugh. 

They  ran  back  to  the  bench  under  the  lilac 
bush  and  the  Little  King  told  Louise  to  hide 
again.  He  found  her  the  second  time  and  became 
enthusiastic  in  a  stiff,  kingly  fashion  all  his  own. 
Again  he  returned  to  the  bench,  leading  Louise 
by  the  hand,  uplifted  as  if  in  a  cotillion.  When 
they  had  been  seated  a  moment,  he  suggested: 

"You  shut  your  eyes  and  I'll  hide." 

Louise    closed    her    eyes    and    waited    for    the 


LOST  IN  PARIS  107 

King's  signal.  When  it  came  she  hastened  to 
find  him.  She  looked  under  every  bush  and 
behind  every  pedestal  and  vases  in  the  garden, 
but  he  was  not  to  be  found.  Soon  she  became 
frightened  and  called: 

"Fourteen!  Please,  please,  where  are  you?" 
The  Little  King  answered  and  Louise,  turning 
in  the  direction  of  his  voice,  saw  a  small,  nail- 
studded  door  in  the  wall  of  the  palace.  It  was 
the  door  to  the  tunnel-like  passage  through  which 
the  Little  King  and  Sweet  Mam'selle  had  escaped 
to  the  street  on  two  or  three  never  to  be  for- 
gotten occasions.  A  laborer  who  had  been  working 
in  the  garden  had  left  the  door  open  when  hur- 
rying away  from  the  presence  of  the  King. 

When  Louise  found  the  Little  King  she  was 
delighted  but  her  attention  was  soon  drawn  to 
other  things.  The  dark  passage  fascinated  her 
and  curiosity  prompted  her  to  investigate  it. 
Then  Louis  told  her  in  whispers  how  once 
in  a  long,  long  while  he  and  Sweet  Mam'selle  escaped 
through  the  tunnel,  andj  how  they  had  done 
so  the  day  they  first  met  her  on  the  rivage. 
The  street  door  stood  ajar,  admitting  a  thin 


io8  THE  LITTLE  KING 

stream  of  light  which  seemed  to  accent  the 
gloom.  The  tunnel,  the  darkness,  the  faint  gleam 
of  light,  but  above  all  the  magic  word  "escape" 
bore  down  on  Louise's  soul  with  irresistible  force, 
and  she  did  tempt  him. 

"Does  that  door  open  on  to  the  street?"  she  asked. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  Little  King,  already  alive 
to  the  possibilities  of  the  situation  and  eager  to 
be  tempted. 

"Let  us  go  to  the  street  and  run  down  to  the 
Porte  de  Vincennes,  and  play  with  the  boys  and 
the  dogs  and  the  goats.  Oh,  Fourteen,  you  never 
saw  anything  so  fine!  You  would  be  so  happy 
you  would  never  want  to  come  back  here!" 

The  Little  King  believed  her  with  all  his  heart, 
but  he  had  misgivings. 

"It  is  a  long  way  to  the  Porte  de  Vincennes," 
he  suggested. 

Louise  did  not  share  his  hesitancy,  so  she  said: 
"Well,  I'm  going  while  I  have  the  chance." 

She  went  and  the  Little  King  followed  her  with 
longing  in  his  heart  and  doubt  in  his  heels. 

When  fairly  in  the  street  Louise  began  to  run 
as  if  she  were  fleeing  from  justice.  The  Little 


LOST  IN  PARIS  109 

King  followed  at  full  speed,  and  soon  they  turned 
a  corner  into  a  narrow  street  which  was  strange 
to  him,  though  he  had  lived  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  it  all  his  life.  Down  the  narrow  street 
Louise  ran  and  the  King  ran  after  her.  Another 
corner  was  turned  and  still  another.  The  streets 
were  growing  narrower  and  were  filthier  than 
any  the  King  had  ever  seen.  The  houses 
were  over-toppling  and  dingy  and  the  few  scat- 
tered shops  were  small  and  unattractive.  When 
the  King  looked  back  and  could  not  see  the 
Palais  Royal,  his  heart  failed  him,  but  pride 
spurred  him  onward,  and  he  kept  Louise's  fleeing 
form  in  view.  After  a  long  run  she  stopped  to 
wait  for  him,  and  he  soon  came  up  to  her  almost 
out  of  breath. 

When  he  was  able  to  speak,  he  said :  "Perhaps 
we  had  better  return." 

"I'm  not  going  back,"  she  answered,  with  con- 
vincing emphasis. 

"But  they  will  miss  me,"  suggested  the  Little 
King. 

"And  they  will  miss  me,  too,"  answered  Louise, 
taking  evident  satisfaction  in  the  thought.  "But 


i  io  THE  LITTLE  KING 

I  don't  care.  Why  should  you  care?  You  are 
a  boy;  I  am  a  girl.  Shame  to  you,  Fourteen!" 

There  was  not  another  word  of  protest  from 
Fourteen,  and  when  she  resumed  her  flight  he 
fled,  too,  keeping  close  by  her  side.  Despite 
occasional  spasms  of  fear,  the  King  enjoyed  his 
new  freedom  greatly.  The  dingy  shops,  the  tumble- 
down houses,  even  the  unkempt  men,  women  and 
children  were  new  and  interesting.  He  wanted 
to  see  all  and  tried  to  look  in  twenty  directions 
at  once.  The  poverty  of  man  in  having  only  one 
pair  of  eyes  suddenly  astounded  him.  At  any 
rate,  a  king  should  have  all  the  eyes  he  needs. 

When  he  had  traveled  a  long  way  and  had 
seen  many  wonders  the  Little  King  began  to 
realize  that  night  was  approaching,  so  he  said  to 
Louise : 

"It  will  soon  be  dark  and  I  must  go  back  to 
the  Palais  Royal." 

Louise  agreed  with  him  and  when  he  said 
hesitatingly:  "I — I  don't  know  the  way,"  she 
answered  confidently : 

"I  do.     I'll   show  you." 

They  started  back,   as  the  King  supposed,  but 


LOST  IN  PARIS  in 

after  a  time  he  began  to  doubt,  and  asked  her 
if  she  knew  where  she  was.  She  answered: 

"Yes,  right  over  there  are  the  pawnbrokers' 
shops.  I've  been  there  with  Mother  Louise  many 
times." 

But  her  knowledge  of  the  pawnbrokers'  shops 
did  not  help  her  to  find  the  way  to  the  Palais 
Royal  and  soon  she  was  compelled  to  admit  that 
she  was  lost  and  began  to  cry. 

Louise's  tears  summoned  the  King's  manliness, 
and  he  spoke  up  boldly: 

"Never  mind,  Louise.  I'll  ask  some  one  to  show 
us  the  way  to  the  Palais  Royal,  and  Sweet 
Mam'selle  will  take  you  home.  Now,  don't  cry." 

Men  were  hurrying  past  them  through  the  nar- 
row streets,  and  others  were  standing  in  the  shop 
doors.  The  Little  King  tried  to  speak  to  several 
of  them,  but  they  looked  so  savage  and  were  so 
forbidding  in  appearance  that  his  courage  failed 
him  and  he  went  on,  leading  Louise  by  her  up- 
lifted hand,  hoping  to  meet  a  man  whose  face 
bore  some  traces  of  humanity.  But  he  found  none. 

The  men  were  not  so  hideous  to  Louise,  so 
after  several  failures,  she  said  encouragingly: 


112 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


"Now,  speak  to  the  next  one.     Here  he  comes.'* 
Thus   spurred   on,    the   Little   King   determined 
to    speak    to    the    next    man    he    met.     The    next 
one  looked  like  a   ruffian,   but  Louise  was  in  dire 
straights,   so   he   made   the   attempt.     It   was   only 
an   attempt,    for  he   got   to   stammering  and   could 
not  finish.     Turning  to  Louise,  he  said: 
"You — you — a — ask  him." 

"He  wants  to  know 
the  way  to  the — the — 
his  home,"  said  Louise, 
starting  out  with  con- 
fidence but  closing  in 
failure.  She  could  not 
remember  the  words 
"Palais  Royal." 

"Home,"    growled 
the    man,     s>)    roughly 
that  he  frightened  even 
Louise.     "Where  is  his 
home?" 

The    Little    King    did    not    answer,    so    Louise, 
turning   to   him,    asked: 
"Where   is   it,   Fourteen?" 


LOST  IN  PARIS  113 

"That  is  what  I  want  to  know,"  answered  Four- 
teen, doing  his  best  to  stay  the  tears. 

"If  you  don't  know  where  your  home  is,  how 
do  I  know?"  demanded  the  man.  "Who  are 
you,  anyway?"  Then  turning  to  Louise:  "And 
who  are  you?" 

"I — I  am  Louise  Jarbeau,  and  he — he  is  Four- 
teen— 'Sieur  Fourteen.  He  hasn't  any  real  name 
— just  a  number,  but  that  isn't  his  fault." 

The  man  looked  at  the  small  human  specimens 
before  him,  laughed  softly  and  mumbled: 

"He  is  more  like  a  fourteenth."  But  the  bad 
jest  was  lost. 

The  Little  King  saw  the  man  smile  at  his  own 
humor,  and  supposing  it  meant  kindliness,  brought 
himself  to  say: 

«I_am_the    K— k— king." 

The  man  laughed:  "Oh— h— h!  The  K— k— 
king?  Perhaps  you  are  the  Cardinal  and  the 
Queen,  too.  I  wish  you  were  so  that  I  could 
wring  their  necks.  They  turned  my  little  ones 
into  the  street  and  took  our  last  mouthful  of 
bread  to  pay  the  accursed  House  Tax.  I  wish 
you  were  the  King.  I'd  have  my  revenge  this 
8 


1 14  THE  LITTLE  KING 

night    and    all    the    world     would    hear    of    it." 

The  man  looked  at  Louise  in  her  rags,  then 
examined  the  King's  finery. 

"Where  did  you  steal  that  lace  and  that  doublet 
— and  the  shoe  buckles?  Where  did  you  steal 
them?"  he  asked.  "That  is  right.  Steal  every- 
thing you  can  from  the  greedy  rich,  who  grow 
fat  while  we  starve.  But  you  had  better  move 
on  or  the  Prefect's  police  will  be  along  and 
they'll  show  you  a  way  home  you  won't  like." 

The  mention  of  the  Prefect's  police  frightened 
Louise,  so  without  a  moment's  delay  she  took 
the  man's  advice  to  move  on.  The  Little  King, 
too,  was  frightened,  having  caught  a  vague  hint 
of  his  danger  from  the  fellow's  threat. 

At  the  next  corner  Louise  and  the  Little  King 
turned  into  a  street  flanked  by  shops  and  houses, 
darker  and  more  squalid  than  any  they  had  yet 
seen.  One  direction  seemed  as  dangerous  as 
another.  They  were  hopelessly  lost.  While  they 
were  standing  in  confusion,  knowing  not  where 
to  turn,  a  horse  and  cart  came  clattering  down 
the  street.  The  Little  King  supposed  it  would 
stop  rather  than  run  over  him,  for  the  street 


LOST  IN  PARIS  115 

was  so  narrow  there  was  not  room  for  a  person 
to  stand  with  safety  between  the  houses  and  the 
cart  wheels.  But  Louise  knew  better  than  to  wait 
for  the  carter  to  stop,  and  Fourteen  soon  dis- 
covered his  mistake. 

Louise,  knowing  the  usual  proceeding  in  such 
cases,  started  to  run  and  the  King  started  after 
her,  impelled  to  full  speed  by  the  law  of  self 
preservation  which  is  very  strong  in  kings.  He 
had  grave  doubts  of  his  ability  to  keep  ahead  of 
the  cart,  for  it  seemed  to  be  drawn  by  the  swift- 
est horse  in  France.  But  when  it  was  almost 
upon  him,  Louise  sought  refuge  in  a  doorway 
and  succeeded  in  drawing  him  in  after  her  just 
as  the  cart  dashed  by,  grumbling,  the  King  thought, 
because  it  had  missed  its  prey.  He  was  fright- 
ened and  very  angry,  but  said  nothing. 

Being  out  of  breath,  though  not  in  the  least 
frightened,  for  the  occurrence  was  not  new  to 
her,  Louise  stepped  down  from  the  doorway  into 
a  dark  shop  filled  with  old  clothing,  odds  and 
ends  of  old  furniture  and  junk  of  all  sorts.  The 
Little  King  was  glad  to  follow  her,  for  any  place 
was  better  than  the  street.  Another  race  with 


ii6  THE  LITTLE  KING 

a     cart   would     surely     frighten     'him     to     death. 

Louise  and  the  King  had  been  standing  in  the 
shop  perhaps  two  minutes — two  minutes  of  deli- 
cious respite  for  Fourteen — when  a  hideous  old 
man  emerged  from  the  black  regions  in  the  rear. 

"What  do  you  want?"  he  demanded  gruffly. 
"Get  out  of  my  shop,  you  little  thieves.  You  did 
not  see  me  so  you  came  in  to  steal." 

He  took  the  Little  King  roughly  by  the  shoulder 
and  pushed  him  toward  the  door.  When  they 
came  into  the  light  the  old  man  saw  that  the 
boy's  apparel  was  rich  and  costly,  so  he  held 
him  back  and  said  gruffly: 

"Ah,  you  have  been  stealing  already.  I  know 
that  doublet,  those  trunks  and  shoe  buckles.  They 
belong  to  the  son  of  my  friend,  the  Comte  de 
Brissac.  They  were  stolen  this  morning.  His 
Excellency's  servants  were  here  looking  for  them. 
Off  with  them,  you  little  thief!" 

The  Little  King  showed  fight,  but  in  less  than 
a  minute  he  stood  barefooted  and  almost  naked. 
The  man  tossed  the  King's  garments  to  the  floor, 
giving  him  in  exchange  a  rough,  torn  shirt  and 
a  pair  of  ragged  trunks  or  breeches  which  came 


LOST  IN  PARIS 


117 


to  the  boy's  ankles  and  were  so  large  in  the 
waistband  that  they  reached  almost  twice  around 
him.  But  he  was  glad  to  get  anything  to  cover 


him,    and   with    Louise's   help,    hurriedly    got   into 
them. 

When  the  task  of  re-clothing  the  King  was 
finished,  Louise,  having  recovered  from  her  sur- 
prise, attacked  the  shopkeeper  with  a  cat-like 


ii8  THE  LITTLE  KING 

viciousness  as  astonishing  as  it  was  effective  and 
so  entirely  out  of  proportion  to  her  size  that 
for  a  moment  Fourteen  stood  dumbfounded — but 
only  for  a  moment.  She  kicked  the  despoiler  of 
her  friend,  bit  his  hand,  snatched  a  broomstick 
from  the  floor,  struck  him  a  well  directed  blow 
on  the  head  and  retreated  before  he  was  fully 
aware  that  he  had  been  whipped.  The  King  had 
anticipated  Louise  in  the  matter  of  retreat  and 
was  speeding  down  the  street,  doing  his  best  to 
hold  up  his  trunks,  when  she  emerged  triumphant 
from  the  shop  door  and  ran  after  him. 

The  King  being  handicapped  by  his  trunks, 
was  soon  overtaken  by  Louise,  but  neither  of 
them  had  any  thought  of  lessening  their  speed. 
The  cobble  stones  bruised  the  Little  King's  feet 
and  between  fright  and  pain  he  was  in  deep 
distress.  Presently  he  heard  again  that  awful 
grumbling,  rumbling  clatter  from  which  he  had 
so  recently  and  so  narrowly  escaped,  and  on 
looking  back,  his  distress  and  fear  were  augmented 
to  the  last  degree;  for  there  came  another  deadly 
cart.  Taking  a  firmer  grip  on  his  trunks,  he  fled 
before  the  new  danger  with  a  speed  of  which  he 


LOST  IN  PARIS  119 

had  never  before  believed  himself  capable.  But 
at  last  another  doorway  offered  a  chance  for  life 
and  he  and  Louise  were  quick  to  take  advantage 
of  it. 

After  the  cart  had  passed,  the  Little  King 
began  to  realize  his  danger.  The  threats  against 
the  King  made  by  the  man  to  whom  he  had 
spoken  awakened  him  to  his  real  peril.  He  had 
always  longed  to  "go  down  where  the  poor  peo- 
ple live."  He  was  there  now  to  his  heart's  infinite 
discontent.  He  suggested  to  Louise  that  they  go 
to  her  mother's  home,  but  Louise  was  hopelessly 
lost  and  had  cast  her  burdens  on  the  King.  She 
who  could  fight  so  viciously  could  also  collapse. 
He  readily  accepted  the  responsibility  and  tried 
to  console  his  friend,  who  in  small  matters  had 
always  taken  the  lead.  He  felt  sure  that  some- 
thing would  be  done  by  the  Queen  and  the  Cardi- 
nal, but  what  they  would  do  or  when  they  would 
do  it,  he  did  not  know. 

Of  course,  there  was  great  consternation  in  the 
Palais  Royal  when  it  was  learned  that  the  Little 
King  was  missing.  The  huge  palace  was  searched 


120  THE  LITTLE  KING 

from  cellar  to  attic.  On  a  former  occasion  the 
Little  King  had  been  found  after  many  hours, 
asleep  behind  a  chest  in  an  old  armor  loft. 
The  royal  household  expected  to  find  him  again 
and  night  was  approaching  before  hope  was 
abandoned. 

The  Queen  Regent,  the  Cardinal  and  the  Marquis 
de  Villeroi  held  a  council,  but  fear  seemed  to 
have  routed  wisdom  and  no  definite  action  was 
taken.  They  hesitated  to  spread  the  news  through- 
out Paris  that  the  Little  King  was  missing,  and 
very  properly  feared  that  an  attempt  to  find  him  by 
public  proclamation  might  result  in  his  capture 
and  detention  by  one  of  the  many  revolutionary 
bands.  In  such  a  case  the  people  might  hold  him 
and  might  demand  as  ransom  one  or  more  of 
the  many  reforms  for  which  they  clamored.  The 
removal  of  the  oppressive  House  Tax  or  the 
abolition  of  the  hated  Taille  might  be  the  price 
demanded.  Either  reform  would  be  costly  to 
Mazarin  and  the  Queen;  both  reforms  might 
mean  the  fall  of  the  Cardinal. 

After  the  council  had  discussed  many  ways  of 
seeking  the  King,  the  Cardinal  suggested  that 


LOST  IN  PARIS  121 

they  send  for  Sweet  Mam'selle.  She  was  brought 
in,  weeping  bitterly,  and  submitted  meekly  to  the 
reproaches  of  the  Queen  and  Villeroi. 

When  she  was  permitted  to  speak,  she  said: 
"If  I  may  go  out  alone,  I  know  I  shall  find  the  King." 

She  was  told  to  go,  and  immediately  started 
out  to  seek  her  little  master. 

The  Marquis  de  Villeroi  and  a  half  score  of 
others  who  could  be  trusted  with  the  dangerous 
secret  were  sent  out  to  search  for  the  valuable 
needle  lost  in  that  terrible  haystack,  the  streets  of 
Paris. 

Sweet  Mam'selle  sought  her  lover,  Jean  Bre- 
ton, and  together  they  sought  the  old  Jewish 
physician.  The  Marquis  de  Villeroi  ordered  his 
coach  and  drove  to  the  Bastile. 

Meantime  Louise  and  the  Little  King  were 
having  troubles  of  their  own.  His  first  and  most 
pressing  trouble,  after  having  found  refuge  from 
the  cart,  was  with  his  trunks.  He  had  no  way 
to  keep  them  on  save  by  holding  them  up,  and 
though  it  may  seem  to  have  been  a  minor  affair 
in  the  midst  of  so  many  great  troubles,  it  caused 


122  THE  LITTLE  KING 

him  anguish  and  fright  almost  equal  to  that 
inspired  by  the  cart.  Being  a  small  matter, 
it  fell  within  Louise's  limits,  so  she  found  a 
string  with  which  she  tied  the  trunks  more  or 
less  securely  about  Fourteen's  waist.  That  trouble 
settled,  the  Little  King  began  to  grow  brave  in 
the  face  of  real  danger  and  assumed  the  arduous 
duty  of  Louise's  protector  as  naturally  as  if  he 
had  been  used  to  it  all  his  life. 

Feeling  confident  in  the  security  of  his  trunks, 
the  Little  King  took  weeping  Louise  by  the 
hand,  saying  once  more: 

"Don't  cry,  Louise.  Come  with  me.  I'll  take 
care  of  you.  I'm  going  to  the  Bastile." 

"No,  no,"  protested  Louise,  to  whom  the  name 
brought  terror.  "Not  there,  not  there!  They'll 
put  us  in!" 

"No,  they  won't,"  answered  the  King.  "I 
know  the  Governor." 

Trusting  entirely  to  Fourteen,  Louise  clung  to 
his  hand  and  they  proceeded  on  their  way  to 
the  Bastile,  hopeful  if  not  rejoicing. 

After  wandering  through  many  streets,  very 
tired  and  very  much  frightened,  Louise  said: 


LOST  IN  PARIS  123 

"Ah,    Fourteen,    there   is  the  Bastile   at  last." 

The  King  looked  in  the  direction  Louise  had 
indicated  and  was  overjoyed  to  see  the  frowning 
walls  of  the  fortress-prison  at  the  end  of  the  little 
street  they  were  on.  But  when  they  reached  it 
they  found  they  were  not  at  the  entrance.  A 
great  forbidding  wall  sprang  skyward  in  front 
of  them  and  a  deep,  black  moat  was  at  their 
feet.  They  turned  back  and  found  another  street 
with  like  result.  It  seemed  as  impossible  to  get 
into  the  Bastile  as  it  was  said  to  be  difficult  to 
get  out. 

Nothing  daunted,  the  Little  King  tried  another 
street,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  the  front  or 
tower  entrance.  He  went  boldly  to  the  gendarme 
who  was  walking  back  and  forth  before  the 
portcullis.  Night  had  fallen  but  the  gates  were 
still  open,  though  the  portcullis  was  down  and 
the  drawbridge  was  up. 

"I  want  to  see  the  Governor,"  said  the  Little 
King. 

The  gendarme  looked  down  smilingly  to  the 
little  fellow  in  rags  and  said: 

"His  Excellence   will   be   delighted   to   see   you. 


124 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


He  wants  you   to   take   supper  with   him  and  has 
been  expecting  you   this   long  time." 

The  face  of  earth 
turned  bright  once  more 
for  the  Little  King  and 
his  heart  jumped  with 
joy,  for  now  he  knew 
that  word  had  been  sent 
from  the  Palais  Royal 
and  that  his  troubles 
were  at  an  end. 

But  when  the  gen- 
^  darme  turned  away  and 
proceeded  on  his  beat, 
the  Little  King's  heart 
sunk,  for  he  began  to  suspect  that  the  man  was 
given  to  irony. 

When  the  gendarme  came  up  to  him  again  the 
Little   King   demanded : 

"Why  don't  you  send  word  to  His  Excellence, 
telling  him  that  I  am  here?     Lift  the  portcullis  at 
once  and  lead  me  to  the  Governor.     I  am  the  King." 
"Ah,  die  King?"  exclaimed  the  gendarme,  laugh- 
ing.    "I  am  sorry  to  keep  Your  Majesty  waiting, 


LOST  IN  PARIS  125 

but  I  must  tell  you  that  the  Governor  is  eating 
a  boy  about  your  size  just  now,  and  will  be 
ready  for  you  when  he  has  finished." 

Louise  saw  no  reason  to  doubt  the  man's  state- 
ment, so  her  heart  almost  turned  over. 

"You  said  he  was  expecting  me.  What  do 
you  mean,  fellow?"  demanded  the  Little  King, 
in  tones  right  bold  and  kingly.  Louise  clung  to 
his  hand  and  admired  him  more  than  ever  before. 
Fourteen  in  rags  was  a  hero.  She  would  have 
compared  him  to  one  of  the  gods  if  she  had 
ever  heard  of  them. 

While  the  King  was  speaking  a  coach  came 
dashing  up  the  paved  street  leading  to  the  Bas- 
tile.  The  Little  King,  remembering  the  terrible 
carts,  climbed  to  the  top  of  a  pile  of  broken 
stone  with  all  the  haste  he  could  make.  Hardly 
were  he  and  Louise  perched  in  safety  when  a 
great  coach  drawn  by  four  splendid  horses  drove 
up  and  stopped  before  the  portcullis.  One  of 
the  men  in  the  coach  spoke  to  the  gendarme. 
Immediately  the  portcullis  began  to  rise  and  the 
drawbridge  to  come  down. 

When  all  was  ready  the  horses  started  forward. 


126  THE  LITTLE  KING 

and  as  the  light  from  the  great  flambeau  above 
the  gate  fell  on  the  faces  of  the  men  in  the 
coach,  the  Little  King  recognized  his  Governor, 
the  Marquis  de  Villeroi,  and  his  uncle,  the  Due 
d'Orleans.  In  his  haste  he  almost  fell  from  the 
pile  of  stone.  Then  he  hurried  after  the  coach, 
climbed  to  the  steps  and  cried  out: 

"M.   le   Marquis!     Wait,   wait!" 

But  the  Marquis  thrust  the  child  away  and 
hastened  into  the  Bastile  to  advise  with  the  Gov- 
ernor as  to  the  best  way  of  finding  the  lost  King. 

The  drawbridge  slowly  went  up  and  the  port- 
cullis came  down  with  a  bang.  So  did  the  Lit- 
tle King's  heart. 

"Now,  be  off !"  ordered  the  gendarme,  not 
unkindly.  "The  Black  Patrol  will  be  here  on 
their  rounds  in  a  minute  or  two,  and  if  they 
find  you  loitering  about  the  gate,  into  the  moat 
you'll  go." 

Retreat  in  the  face  of  superior  force  was 
Louise's  strong  point.  She  wanted  to  go  at  once. 

"I've  heard  of  the  Black  Patrol,"  she  whis- 
pered to  the  King.  "They  kill  every  one  who 
gets  in  their  way." 


LOST  IN  PARIS  127 

Her  fears  were  infectious  and  her  statement 
was  alarming.  Still  the  Little  King  stood  his 
ground,  eager,  as  he  supposed,  to  meet  the  Black 
Patrol  single  handed  and  alone.  But  when  he 
saw  a  score  of  black  figures  slowly  oozing  out 
of  the  darkness  into  the  light  of  the  flambeau, 
caution,  self-preservation  and  Louise's  safety  all 
prompted  him  to  immediate  flight.  So  away  he 
ran,  clutching  his  trunks  with  one  hand  while 
Louise  clung  desperately  to  the  other. 

Surely  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to  get  into  the 
Bastile,  though  doubtless  many  others  had  found 
it  all  too  easy. 

Again  the  Little  King  and  Louise  were  wander- 
ers. The  shops  were  closing.  One  by  one  the 
lights  in  the  windows  were  going  out,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  streets  were  deserted.  Now  and 
then  a  dim,  phantom-like  form  sprang  from  the 
darkness  and  passed  on  leaving  the  children  almost 
paralized  -by  fear.  The  forms  did  not  seem 
to  be  men  and  women.  Doubtless  they  were 
frightful,  child-destroying  demons,  and  the  King 
and  Louise  wondered  at  their  marvelous  escapes 
from  them.  Louise  suggested  that  the  dark  forms 


128  THE  LITTLE  KING 

might  be  black  ghosts,  and  the  King  was  ready 
to  admit  that  perhaps  she  was  right. 

At  times  the  trembling  children  stood  clinging  to 
each  other.  Then  they  would  wander  on  again, 
hardly  conscious  of  what  they  were  doing.  Thus 
several  hours  passed,  and  little  by  little  the  wanderers 
traveled  a  long  unknown  way,  the  King  always 
holding  up  Louise's  hand  like  the  pompous  little 
gallant  that  he  was.  In  their  aimless  wander- 
ing they  came  to  a  woman  sitting  on  a  doorstep. 
She  held  a  baby  in  her  lap,  while  a  little  girl 
slept  at  her  feet.  When  the  King  saw  her  he 
took  courage,  and  with  an  instinct  born  of  man- 
liness, seemed  to  know  that  he  would  find  sym- 
pathy here,  because  he  was  about  to  seek  it  of 
a  woman. 

"We  are  lost,"  he  said,  bowing  in  his  courtly 
fashion  before  the  woman.  "Won't  Madame  help 
us  and  give  us  something  to  eat?  We  are  very 
tired  and  hungry.  I  am  the  King." 

The  woman  did  not  laugh.  The  day  had  been 
one  of  woe  to  her  and  she  could  not  laugh, 
answered  simply: 

"The  King  asks   help    from  his  poorest   subject. 


LOST  IN  PARIS  129 

He  sent  his  tax  gatherers  here  to-day  to  collect 
the  House  Tax,  and  they  took  all  I  had;  my 
poor  bed,  my  chair;  even  my  small  sack  of  black 
flour.  I  have  nothing  to  eat,  and  I  fear  my  little 
ones  will  starve  that  the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal 
may  live  in  luxury." 

The  Little  King  paused  to  gather  his  thoughts, 
and  after  a  deal  of  stammering  replied: 

"But  I  am  the  King.  You  are  mistaken.  I 
did  not  send  the  tax  collectors.  I  am  lost.  Please, 
Madame,  help  me  to  find  the  Palais  Royal." 

The  woman,  supposing  that  the  child's  mind 
had  been  touched  by  madness  born,  possibly,  of 
her  own  familiar  affliction,  hunger,  humored  his 
whim  and  answered: 

"I  can't  take  you  to  the  Palais  Royal,  but  you 
and  the  little  girl  may  come  into  my  house  and 
may  sleep  on  the  bare  floor.  I  have  nothing 
else  to  offer  you  except  my  pity." 

The  Little  King  was  very  tired,  and  knew 
that  Louise  could  not  keep  her  eyes  open  much 
longer.  Anything  was  better  than  wandering  in 
the  streets,  where  a  deadly  cart  was  apt  to 
spring  from  the  darkness  any  moment.  So  the 

9 


i3o  THE  LITTLE  KING  V 

woman's  offer  was  accepted,  and  soon  the  royal 
eyes  were  sealed.  All  night  long  the  King  lay 
beside  Louise,  the  hard  boards  for  a  bed  and  his 
bended  arm  for  a  pillow,  but  His  Majesty  was 
asleep  dreaming  of  deadly  carts,  and  vowing  death 
to  all  carters  the  day  after  his  coronation. 

The  next  morning  the  King  awakened  just  as 
Louise  rose  beside  him  and  announced  that  she 
was  hungry.  It  took  him  some  time  to  realize 
where  he  was.  He  was  dazed.  But  while  he 
was  rubbing  his  eyes  a  painful  sensation  strangely 
in  accord  with  Louise's  statement  helped  him  toward 
wakefulness.  He  was  terribly  hungry.  The  woman 
had  gone,  but  the  little  girl  and  the  baby  slept 
in  the  corner  of  the  room. 

When  entirely  awake  the  Little  King  went  to 
the  door.  The  sun  was  shining  brightly.  Oh, 
how  much  better  was  the  day  than  the  awful 
night ! 

It  was  still  early,  though  a  few  of  the  shops 
were  open,  and  now  and  then  a  hated  cart  dashed 
past  the  door. 

Presently  the  woman  returned.  She  closed  the 
door,  looked  carefully  about  her  to  see  that  no 


LOST  IN  PARIS  131 

one  was  watching,  and  drew  a  small  loaf  of 
black  bread  from  the  folds  of  her  gown.  She 
awakened  the  little  girl  and  the  baby,  broke  the 
loaf  into  four  pieces — piteously  small  they  were 
— and  gave  one  to  each  of  her  little  ones.  She 
hesitated,  then  as  if  fleeing  from  temptation,  thrust 
one  of  the  remaining  pieces  of  bread  into  Louise's 
hand  and  the  other  she  gave  to  the  Little  King. 

Louise  fell  upon  her  bread  ravenously  and  would 
have  devoured  it  all  very  quickly  had  she  not 
glanced  up  to  the  eager  face  of  the  half-starved 
woman.  Instantly  Louise  broke  her  bread  in  two 
pieces  and  offered  one  to  the  woman,  saying: 

"There's   too   much    for   me.     You    eat   it." 

Tears    started    to    the    woman's    eyes    and    she 
caught  Louise  to  her  breast. 
..  The  Little   King,   learning  his  second  lesson  of 
love  from  Louise,   said  in  his  courtly  fashion: 

"Madame,  pray  have  a  part  of  my  bread, 
too.  I'm  not  very  hungry." 

God's  gentle  finger  had  touched  that  desert  place, 
a  king's  heart,  and  it  had  blossomed. 

The  woman  clasped  him  to  her  heart,  too,  and 
looked  almost  happy  as  she  ate  her  own  bread 


132  THE  LITTLE  KING 

that  had  been  cast  upon  the  waters,  instantly  to  return. 

While  they  were  eating  their  meager  breakfast, 
two  men  entered  the  house  and  arrested  the 
woman  for  having  stolen  the  loaf  from  a  baker. 
The  penalty  for  her  crime  was  death  or  worse. 

The  scene  that  followed  was  too  distressing 
to  dwell  on,  though  similar  scenes  for  like  offenses 
were  enacted  every  day  in  Paris,  while  Mazarin 
grew  rich  and  the  Queen  Regent  squandered  her 
millions. 

The  woman  was  led  away,  carrying  her  baby, 
while  the  little  girl,  the  King  and  Louise  fol- 
lowed in  a  mournful  procession. 

Hardly  had  they  taken  twenty  steps  from  the 
house  when  the  Little  King  saw  an  old  Jew,  two 
young  men  and  a  beautiful  young  woman  crossing 
the  street  a  short  distance  in  advance.  At  first 
he  could  not  trust  his  eyes,  but — yes,  he  was 
right!  He  pinched  himself  and  he  was  sure  he 
was  right,  so  he  cried  out  joyfully: 

"Sweet   Mam'selle!     Sweet   Mam'selle!" 

The  next  moment  the  beautiful  young  woman 
was  on  her  knees  in  the  mud  of  the  street,  with 
the  Little  King's  arms  clasped  about  her  neck. 


LOST  IN  PARIS  133 

Explanations  followed  quickly,  and  the  men. 
who  had  arrested  the  woman  fled  in  terror  from 
the  King's  presence.  The  erstwhile  mournful  pro- 
cession faced  about  and  following  the  lead  of 
Jean  Breton,  hurried  to  the  opposite  end  of  the 
short  street,  turned  a  corner,  and  there  to  the 
King's  surprise  stood  the  Palais  Royal,  within 
three  minutes'  walk  of  the  house  in  which  he 
had  spent  the  night,  elbow  to  elbow  with  starva- 
tion. 

There  was  great  rejoicing  when  tht  Little  King 
returned.  His  first  care  was  for  the  poor  woman 
who  had  divided  her  stolen  loaf  with  him.  Her 
days  of  want  were  over.  Truly  her  bread  had 
been  cast  upon  the  waters  and  had  returned. 

After  the  Little  King's  story  was  told,  he 
turned  to  Mazarin,  lifted  his  hand  in  a  threaten- 
ing, kingly,  though  childish  manner,  and  said: 

"M.  le  Cardinal,  it  is  the  King's  command 
that  the  House  Tax  be  abolished  in  Paris." 

And  the  Little   King's  command  was  obeyed. 


LA  SAINTE  CROIX 


CHAPTER  V 
A  JEW  THREE  THOUSAND  YEARS  OLD 

AT  the  time  of  the  Little  King's  tenth 
birthday,  there  was  in  the  city  of  Paris, 
a  short,  narrow  street  just  off  the  Rue 
de  Bethisy  called  the  Rue  Sainte  Croix,  which 
ceased  to  exist  so  long  ago  that  its  very  name 
has  been  forgotten  save  in  musty  tomes  and 
ancient  legendary.  With  the  true  spirit  of  para- 
doxy  which  at  the  time  seemed  to  be  the  familiar 
spirit  of  Paris,  the  score  or  more  of  houses  com- 
posing the  quaint  little  street  bearing  this  holy 
Christian  name  were,  with  two  or  three  excep- 
tions, occupied  by  Jews.  One  of  these  exceptions 
was  a  high  two-story  wooden  building  whose  over- 
hanging roof  and  heavy  beams  leaned  so  far  into 
the  street  that  they  seemed  to  threaten  with  de- 
struction any  stranger  invading  the  Sabbath-like 
stillness  of  Rue  Sainte  Croix. 

This  ancient  structure  was  occupied  by  a  Chris- 
137 


J3S  THE  LITTLE  KING 

tian,  Baptiste  Guiron,  an  alchemist,  who  kept 
what  we  should  now  call  an  apothecary  shop  on 
the  first  floor.  As  if  to  save  the  house  from 
being  an  entire  exception  to  the  Hebraic  rule, 
the  second  floor  was  occupied  by  an  old  Jew 
whose  name  was  Benoni;  not  Benoni  Smith,  nor 
Jones,  nor  Brown,  but  simply  Benoni,  for  the 
Jews  at  that  time  had  no  family  names,  as  all 
the  world  knows. 

One  cold  Sunday  morning  in  the  month  of 
December,  nearly  ten  years  before  the  Little  King 
Louis  XIV  was  born,  a  Jew  was  standing  near 
the  chain  fence  which  surrounded  a  space  perhaps 
one  hundred  feet  square  in  the  plaza  fronting 
the  cathedral  of  the  city  of  Toulouse.  In  the 
center  of  the  square  were  two  iron  stakes  and  at 
the  stakes  stood  chained  a  man  and  a  woman, 
husband  and  wife.  They  were  heretics.  A  priest 
held  a  cross  before  them,  fagots  were  piled  at 
their  feet,  and  two  executioners  stood  ready  to 
apply  the  torch.  Near  the  Jew  stood  a  boy 
eight  or  nine  years  old,  watching  with  streaming 
-eyes  the  frightful  proceedings. 


A  VERY  OLD  JEW  139 

The  woman  was  brave  till  she  turned  her  face 
toward  the  child.  Then  she  begged  for  mercy, 
protested  her  innocence  and  offered  to  make  any 
recantation,  reparation  or  confession  Holy  Church 
might  ask.  But  her  entreaties  were  unheeded. 
The  executioners  applied  the  torch  and  stepped 
back  with  the  priest  to  the  chain  fence,  leaving 
the  man  and  the  woman  to  the  mercy  of  the 
fire. 

When  the  fagots  were  well  aflame,  the  woman 
turned  her  face  toward  the  boy  and  held  out  her 
hands  to  him  as  far  as  her  chains  would  permit. 
After  a  moment's  hesitancy  the  boy  crawled  under 
the  chain  fence  and  ran  to  her,  where  he  stood 
during  the  rest  of  the  awful  scene,  warming 
his  hands  at  the  flames  which  were  consuming 
the  only  friends  he  had  on  earth,  his  father  and 
his  mother. 

Soon  the  crowd  of  spectators  began  to  depart, 
for  the  auto  da  fe  was  an  old  story  in  Tou- 
louse, and  within  an  hour  only  the  boy,  the  Jew 
and  the  executioners  were  left  to  witness  the  end 
of  the  tragedy.  When  the  executioners  prepared 
to  go  they  ordered  the  boy  to  leave  the  enclosure 


140 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


and  enforced  their  com- 
mand by  a  blow  from 
the  half-charred  pole 
with  which  they  had 
been  stirrings  the  embers. 
The  boy  went  back 
to  where  he  had  been 
standing  near  the  Jew, 
turned  his  face  toward 
his  dead  father  and 
mother,  leaned  against 
the  chain  and  wept  bit- 
terly. 

After  watching  him   for   a   little  time,  the  Jew 
went  to   his   side  and   asked   gently: 
"Where   are  you   going,    my  son?" 
"I — I — don't   know,"    sobbed   the  boy. 
"Have  you   no  home,   no   friends?" 
"No." 

"Will  you  go  home  with  me?"  asked  the  Jew 
pleadingly.  One  might  have  supposed  he  was 
seeking  a  favor. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  sobbing  boy,  holding  up 
his  hand  to  be  clasped.  So  Baptiste  Guiron  went 


A  VERY  OLD  JEW  141 

home  with  Benoni  the  Jew  and  grew  to  manhood 
under  his  rooftree. 

How  Baptiste  became  a  learned  alchemist  under 
the  teaching  of  Benoni,  how  Benoni,  having  on  a 
certain  occasion  cured  Louis  XIII  of  an  illness 
while  that  monarch  was  on  a  visit  to  Toulouse, 
obtained  from  the  king  permission  to  live  in  Paris 
with  his  wife,  his  baby  daughter  and  young  Bap- 
tiste, how,  being  rich,  he  bought  the  house  of 
the  disbanded  cloister,  La  Sainte  Croix,  from 
which  the  little  street  took  its  name,  how  Bap- 
tiste opened  an  apothecary  shop  in  the  overhanging 
building,  back  of  which  stood  the  cloister  house, 
how  he  prospered,  how  the  old  Jew  kept  his  wife 
and  his  beautiful  daughter  snugly  hidden  in  his 
real  home,  the  cloister  house  of  La  Sainte  Croix, 
and  how,  being  a  learned  physician,  he  plied  his 
healing  arts,  cured  the  rich  for  pay  and  the  poor 
gratis,  are  all  matters  that  happened  long  before 
the  King's  tenth  birthday  and  therefore  are  no 
part  of  this  story,  the  principal  events  of  which 
occurred  on  that  day. 

But  the  Jew's  daughter  Miriam,  who  had  "hap- 
pened" some  seven  or  eight  years  before  the  Lit- 


142 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


the  King  was  born,  being  wonderfully  beautiful,  as 
Baptiste  would  have  testified,  naturally,  becomes 
an  important  part  of  the  story,  as  a  beautiful 
girl  is  apt  to  do  whenever  she  is  connected  with 
any  story. 


Of  course  Baptiste's  relations  to  the  Jew  were 
carefully  hidden  from  the  world,  for  while  a  Jew 
himself  might  prosper  in  trade  and  might  be 
tolerated,  at  least  for  a  time,  a  Christian  who 
associated  with  a  Jew  was  sure  to  be  despised, 
frowned  upon  and  spurned  as  an  unclean  thing 
hiding  under  the  Master's  cloak. 


A  VERY  OLD  JEW  143 

It  must  not  be  understood  that  Baptiste  was 
ungrateful  to  the  man  that  had  sheltered  him. 
On  the  contrary,  he  loved  him,  and  as  for  his 
daughter — but  all  that  concerns  her  will  come 
in  its  turn.  Baptiste  stood  aloof  from  the  Jew 
only  so  far  as  the  outer  world  could  see,  but 
whatever  he  did  was  done  under  Benoni's  advice. 

Among  Baptiste's  Christian  friends  was  Jean 
Breton,  Sweet  Mam'selle's  lover.  Jean  and  Sweet 
Mam'selle  knew  that  the  Jew  lived  over  Baptiste's 
shop,  but  they  knew  nothing  of  the  strange  re- 
lationship. They,  in  common  with  all  other  Chris- 
tians, hated  the  Jews,  but  after  Benoni  had  helped 
Jean  to  see  the  Little  King  and  had  thereby 
enabled  him  to  rescue  Sweet  Mam'selle  from  the 
Bastile,  and  later  had  aided  them  in  finding  the 
Little  King  on  the  eventful  night  when  "Four- 
teen" and  Louise  Jarbeau  were  lost  in  the  streets 
of  Paris,  they  began  to  respect  the  old  man,  then 
to  love  him,  and  soon  found  themselves  forgetting 
that  he  was  a  Jew. 

They  knew  also  that  it  was  Benoni's  skill 
which  had  saved  the  Little  King  when  His  Maj- 
esty was  ill  with  the  smallpox,  though  the  Queen 


I44  THE  LITTLE  KING 

and    the    Court    gave    the    credit    to  Seguine,  the 
court    physician,    who    received    all    the    reward. 

At  that  time  superstition  and  science  went  hand 
in  hand,  but  superstition's  hand  was  much  the 
larger.  Alchemy  was  the  link  connecting  Black 
Magic  with  medicine,  the  curative  arts  and  the 
science  we  now  call  chemistry.  Astrology  was 
the  link  between  magic  and  astronomy,  while  the 
power  of  numbers,  mystically  arranged  to  foretell 
the  future,  chained  even  prosaic  mathematics  to 
the  realm  of  the  supernatural. 

Even  the  men  who  were  learned  in  natural 
science  were  unable  to  divest  themselves  of  the 
barnacles  of  superstition,  and  were  prone  to  en- 
courage by  many  artifices  the  half-frightened  awe 
with  which  the  people  looked  upon  them. 

One  of  the  commonest  modes  of  inspiring  awe 
was  a  pretense  of  great  age.  It  was  an  innocent 
imposture,  but  it  was  an  imposture  nevertheless. 
Benoni  was  three  thousand  years  old,  if  one  may 
accept  his  word  for  that  startling  fact.  Why  he 
pretended  to  so  great  an  age  is  hard  to  under- 
stand unless  it  inspired  a  sort  of  awe-tinged 


A  VERY  OLD  JEW  145 

respect  for  and  confidence  in  his  power  to  heal 
— suggestive  perhaps  of  Satanic  origin — which 
brought  him  patients  who  did  his  general  coffers 
fill. 

Where  one  of  these  learned  men  lived  there 
could  always  be  found  among  the  people  from 
king  to  peasant  a  whispering  undercurrent  of  gossip 
hinting  that  Satan  had  his  finger  in  the  pie 
somewhere.  No  matter  how  great  a  benefactor 
the  supposed  friend  of  Satan  may  have  been,  the 
people,  if  stirred  by  religious  fanaticism,  were  eager 
to  fall  upon  him  and  to  work  his  ruin.  If  the 
devil  did  all  the  good  with  which  he  was  charged, 
he  was  a  better  fellow  than  many  persons  can  be 
brought  to  believe,  and  if  he  received  all  the 
punishment  honestly  intended  for  him  he  had  his 
due  long  ago. 

Benoni,  though  ostensibly  living  in  the  rooms 
over  Baptiste  Guiron's  shop,  in  fact  dwelt  with 
his  wife  and  daughter  in  the  old  cloister  house 
of  La  Sainte  Croix,  which  stood  within  a  walled 
enclosure  just  back  of  the  shop.  Surrounding  the 
small  stone  dwelling  was  a  diminutive  garden  of 
trees  and  flowers,  so  beautifully  arranged  and  so 


10 


i46  THE  LITTLE  KING 

well  cultivated  by  the  Jewish  family  that  to  step 
from  the  bleak  little  street  into  Baptiste's  dingy 
shop,  and  thence  from  the  back  door  of  the  shop 
through  the  well  concealed  gate  in  the  high 
cloister  wall  was  like  passing  from  a  desert  into 
fairy-land. 

When  one  entered  the  house  and  beheld  the 
rich  oriental  tapestries,  the  luxurious  couches, 
the  rare  rugs,  the  many  colored  hanging  lamps 
of  sparkling  crystal,  and  breathed  the  per- 
fumes of  myrrh  and  the  attar  of  roses,  one 
might  well  believe  that  an  esthetic  genie  or  an 
artistic  Satan  had  helped  in  its  creation.  Com- 
pared to  it,  the  grandeur  of  the  Palais  Royal 
was  comfortless  and  commonplace. 

But  all  that  was  beautiful  in  the  Jew's  house 
paled  beside  the  loveliness  of  his  daughter  Miriam. 
She  was  fair  of  skin  (her  mother  was  a  beautiful 
Circassian  whom  Benoni  had  purchased  in  Bag- 
dad), her  hair  was  golden  red,  the  color  Titian 
loved,  and  her  face  showed  none  of  the  distinct- 
ively Jewish  features.  Her  father  had  paid  one 
thousand  sequins  or  about  eighteen  hundred  dol- 
lars, for  her  mother;  he  could  have  sold  the 


A  VERY  OLD  JEW  147 

daughter  in  the  same  market  for  ten  times  that 
sum.  But  all  the  gold  of  the  earth  could  not 
have  bought  her.  She  was  dearer  to  Benoni 
than  the  blood  of  his  heart. 

Until  near  the  time  of  the  Little  King's  tenth 
birthday,  no  one  save  Baptiste  Guiron  had  been 
permitted  to  behold  the  enchanting  scene  within 
the  walls  of  La  Sainte  Croix,  and  no  one  so 
much  as  suspected  its  existence.  Even  the  Jews 
living  in  the  neighborhood  supposed  the  cloister 
house  was  an  uninhabited  ruin,  for  the  walls  sur- 
rounding it  were  so  high  that  it  could  not  be  seen 
even  from  the  roofs  of  nearby  houses.  Neither 
did  any  one  suspect  that  the  Jew  had  a  beautiful 
wife  and  a  still  more  beautiful  daughter,  for 
when  on  rare  occasions  they  ventured  abroad, 
they  left  and  returned  through  Baptiste's  shop, 
and  when  on  the  street  dressed  in  the  fashion  of 
the  time  and  wore  masks  as  was  the  wont  and 
privilege  of  all  women. 

Benoni,  knowing  only  too  well  the  terrible  spirit 
of  the  times,  fully  realized  that  the  only  safety 
for  him  and  his  little  brood  lay  in  concealment, 
so  for  many  years  they  had  lived  happily  hidden 


i48  THE  LITTLE  KING 

from  all  the  world  in  the  heart  of  La  Sainte 
Croix.  Save  for  the  fact  that  this  story  could 
not  have  been  told,  it  would  have  been  well  had 
Benoni  never  relaxed  his  vigilance.  But  though 
learned  in  the  ways  of  the  evil  heart,  he  under- 
estimated the  danger  to  all  things  good  which 
lurks  in  superstition,  ignorance  and  greed,  and 
like  all  who  trust  to  the  mercies  of  the  world, 
he  paid  the  penalty. 

And  this   is  how  it  all  came   about. 

When  the  Little  King  was  lost  with  Louise 
Jarbeau  on  that  terrible  night  in  the  streets  of 
Paris,  and  was  found  by  the  help  of  the  Jew 
and  Baptiste,  Jean  and  Sweet  Mam'selle  each 
received  rich  rewards  which  they,  being  honest 
folk,  felt  should  be  divided  with  those  who  had 
helped  them.  The  Jew,  wishing  to  avoid  pub- 
licity, refused  the  proffered  portion,  and  Bap- 
tiste insisted  that  he  himself  was  entitled  to  no 
reward. 

So  Baptiste  and  the  Jew  found  a  warm 
place  in  the  hearts  of  Jean  and  his  sweetheart, 
resulting  in  many  visits  to  Baptiste's  shop  and 
the  Jew's  rooms  above.  The  four  grew  to  be 


A  VERY  OLD  JEW  149 

great  friends,  so  one  evening  shortly  before  the 
King's  tenth  birthday,  Benoni,  longing  for  com- 
panionship and  feeling  that  his  new-found  friends 
were  to  be  trusted,  invited  them  to  cross  the 
threshold  of  La  Sainte  Croix,  and  presented  them 
to  his  sacred  world;  his  wife,  his  daughter  and 
his  home. 

Jean  and  Sweet  Mam'selle  were  enchanted  with 
the  beautiful  scene  and  the  still  more  beautiful 
daughter,  and  when  cautioned  by  the  Jew,  prom- 
ised in  all  sincerity  not  to  betray  his  secret 

As  the  Little  King's  birthday  approached,  the 
whole  court,  including  the  Queen,  the  Cardinal, 
and  all  the  courtiers  strove  to  invent  some  new 
entertainment  that  would  interest  the  little  mon- 
arch, who  was  already  growing  blase  and  hard 
to  amuse.  The  man  or  woman  that  suggested 
the  entertainment  in  which  his  little  Majesty  should 
evince  the  greatest  interest  would  be  sure  of  an 
enviable  distinction  among  the  courtiers,  at  least 
for  a  time,  and  would  receive  something  substantial 
by  way  of  reward  from  the  Queen  or  the  Car- 
dinal, or  both. 


150  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Sweet  Mam'selle  and  Jean  had  spent  several 
evenings  in  the  Jew's  interesting  house  before  the 
discussion  of  the  King's  birthday  entertainment 
had  begun  at  court.  On  one  occasion  Benoni 
entertained  them  with  a  few  strange  exhibitions 
of  what  they  and,  in  a  way,  he  himself  con- 
sidered manifestations  of  Black  Magic. 

To  say  that  Jean  and  Sweet  Mam'selle  were  in- 
terested, though  very  much  frightened,  would  by 
no  means  express  their  state  of  mind  on  leaving 
the  Jew's  house.  But  at  a  distance  from  danger, 
curiosity  is  stronger  than  fear,  so  they  bought 
protective  amulets  from  a  priest  and  returned 
again  and  again  to  witness  the  wonders  of  Ben- 
oni's  strange  art,  feeling  measurably  safe  from 
the  all  too  interesting  devil  who,  they  suspected, 
was  indirectly  furnishing  their  entertainments. 

While  the  great  personages  of  the  court  were 
puzzling  their  brains  to  find  a  novelty  in  the 
way  of  amusement  for  the  King's  birthday,  what 
wonder  is  it  that  Sweet  Mam'selle,  having  in 
mind  the  Jew's  wonderful  powers,  should  long  to 
exploit  a  plan  that  would  have  entertained  the 
King  even  in  his  old  age,  after  he  had  run  the 


A  VERY  OLD  JEW 


gamut  of  all  amusements  that  the  ingenious  French 
brain  could  discover  or  invent?  But  she  was  true 
to  her  promise  to  Benoni,  and  would  tell  no  one 
about  La  Sainte  Croix  until  she  had  received 
permission  from  its  lord. 

While  Miriam  was  a  child  Baptiste  called  her 
his  sister  and  so  regarded  her,  but  when  she 
became  a  young  woman  of 
fifteen  or  sixteen,  his  brother- 
ly love  underwent  a  great 
and  disturbing  change. 
Spurred  by  his  new  love,  he 
spoke  to  Benoni  on  the  sub- 
ject and  received  hearty  per- 
mission to  woo  the  girl. 
Baptiste  lost  no  time,  but5 
set  about  the  pleasing  task  at 
once,  and  within  a  reason- 
able period  received  such  as- 
surances as  a  modest  girl  may  give  that  he  might 
have  her,  her  hand,  and  best  of  all,  her  heart, 
if  the  transfer  could  be  arranged  satisfactorily  to 
all  concerned  and  without  arousing  the  ire  of 


152  THE  LITTLE  KING 

those  who  had  no  right   to   be   concerned   at   all. 

The  difficulties  in  the  way  of  a  happy  mar- 
riage between  the  twain  lay  in  the  fact  that 
under  the  Mosaic  law  a  Jew  could  not  marry  a 
gentile,  and  under  the  French  law  a  Christian 
could  not  marry  a  Jew. 

So  far  as  Benoni  was  concerned,  the  Mo- 
saic law  might  have  been  infracted  with  his 
entire  consent,  for  learning  had  long  since 
delivered  him  from  the  bondage  of  Judaism. 
He  was  willing  that  his  daughter  should  abjure 
the  faith  of  her  fathers  and  enter  Holy  Church 
if  she  might  thereby  receive  Baptiste  as  a  reward 
for  her  apostasy,  for  he  believed  that  one  who 
worshiped  God  honestly,  in  any  way,  worshiped 
Him  in  truth.  His  brother  Jews  were  the  ones 
who  would  be  apt  to  create  disturbance  in  this 
Parisian  Judea,  for  of  all  the  people  of  earth, 
your  religious  fanatic  loves  best  to  make  trouble,  pref- 
erably for  others,  but  failing  in  that,  for  himself. 

It  is  true  that  Benoni  had  not  intrusted  his 
great  secret  even  to  his  own  people,  but  the 
marriage  of  his  daughter  would  make  it  public, 
and  he  feared  that  his  meddlesome  brethren, 


A  VERY  OLD  JEW  153 

zealous  and  jealous  for  the  sake  of  a  religion 
which  had  cursed  their  race  for  centuries,  would 
eagerly  drop  their  own  affairs  to  interfere  in  his 
and  to  make  as  much  trouble  as  possible  for 
him  and  his  household. 

The  prospect  of  trouble  with  his  Jewish  brothers 
did  not  disturb  Benoni  so  much  as  his  fear  of 
the  French  law,  which,  if  infracted,  would  bring 
down  upon  him  the  heavy  hand  of  the  Cardinal's 
greedy  minions.  The  marriage  was  very  near  his 
heart  and  the  matter  was  frequently  discussed  in 
the  family  councils  during  a  period  of  several 
months  prior  to  the  King's  tenth  birthday. 

"How  may  it  be  brought  about,  my  children?" 
asked  Benoni  one  evening  when  the  interesting 
subject  was  under  discussion.  He  had  asked  the 
same  question  many  times  before.  "If  you  marry 
in  the  Jewish  manner — well,  Baptiste  is  a  Chris- 
tian." 

"That  fact  will  in  no  way  hamper  me,"  said 
Baptiste.  "The  Church  burned  my  father  and 
mother  and  left  me  to  starve.  I  was  saved  by 
a  Jew."  Then  he  clasped  Miriam's  hand  and 
kissing  it  tenderly,  continued:  "Here  is  my  religion. 


154  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Other  religions  have  brought  me  only  evil.  I 
would  worship  all  my  life  at  this  shrine." 

Miriam  clasped  his  hand  warmly  and  whispered: 
"No,  no,  Baptiste,  I  shall  be  the  worshiper  and 
you  will  be  the  shrine.  I  do  hope  you  and 
father  may  discover  some  means  whereby  I  may 
kneel  before  my  shrine  all  the  days  of  my  life." 

"If  by  good  fortune  we  could  obtain  a  royal 
sanction  to  the  marriage,  we  should  be  safe  in 
celebrating  it,"  said  Benoni,  falteringly. 

"Why  not  buy  it  from  the  Cardinal?"  sug- 
gested Baptiste.  "I  have  a  small  bag  of  gold 
which—" 

"That  is  the  last  resort,"  interrupted  Benoni. 
"If  we  buy  the  Cardinal  to-day,  we  shall  have 
to  buy  him  or  some  of  his  officers  to-morrow. 
The  extortion  will  continue  as  long  as  His  Emi- 
nence believes  we  have  a  sou  left.  Then  when 
we  are  stripped  of  all  we  have,  he  will  turn  upon 
us  and  rend  us  because  we  have  no  more  to  give. 
No,  no,  my  son!  Privileges  from  Mazarin  are 
but  gifts  of  the  devil,  granted  to  lure  a  vic- 
tim to  ruin." 

"I  fear  you  are  right,"  responded  Baptiste, 
dolefully. 


A  VERY  OLD  JEW  155 

'But  I  have  been  wondering,  of  late,  if  the  Little 
King  could  not  be  reached  through  our  friends, 
Jean  Breton  and  his  Majesty's  nurse,"  continued 
Benoni,  thoughtfully.  "He  loves  her  devotedly, 
and  though  he  is  still  but  a  child,  I  have  heard 
that  he  has  exhibited  a  right  royal  temper,  and  has 
had  his  own  way  on  many  occasions,  despite  the 
opposition  of  every  one.  In  four  short  years  he 
will  be  crowned,  and  I  suppose  the  courtiers  are 
beginning  to  seek  his  favor  for  future  use." 

"The  very  thing!"  cried  Baptiste,  joyfully.  "The 
very  thing!"  Then  turning  to  Miriam  and  her 
mother,  he  told  them  all  about  Jean  Breton  and 
Sweet  Mam'selle. 

Miriam,  of  course,  gave  it  as  her  opinion  that 
her  wise  father  and  still  wiser  lover  had  solved  the 
problem  and  that  the  obstacles  to  her  happiness 
would  soon  be  removed  by  royal  sanction.  This 
all  happened  before  Jean  and  Sweet  Mam'selle 
had  visited  La  Sainte  Croix,  though  not  before 
their  visits  to  Baptiste's  shop  and  to  the  Jew's 
rooms  above  the  shop,  as  already  told. 

Miriam  was  for  plunging  into  the  affair  at 
once,  but  Benoni  advised  making  haste  slowly. 


156  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"Baptiste  and  I  have  seen  this  Jean  Breton 
and  his  sweetheart  on  only  three  or  four  occa- 
sions. We  don't  know  them  and  they  don't  know 
us.  I  believe  they  are  honest  and  may  be  trusted, 
but  we  must  know  it  before  we  place  ourselves  in 
their  power.  We  must  be  reasonably  sure  that 
they  will  be  willing  to  accept  the  responsibility  of 
asking  this  favor  at  the  King's  hands  before  we 
attempt  to  thrust  it  on  them.  After  Baptiste 
and  I  have  seen  more  of  them,  I  hope  we  shall 
be  willing  to  entrust  them  with  our  secret  to  the 
extent  of  inviting  them  to  our  house  to  break 
bread  with  us — if  they  will  come.  Of  course, 
they  hate  a  Jew.  Our  first  task  is  to  turn  that 
hatred  into  love.  I  doubt  if  it  ever  has  been 
done,  or — or  can  be  done.  One  of  the  paradoxes 
of  life  is  the  bitterness  with  which  man  hates 
man,  because  of  his  love  of  God." 

It  was  after  this  conversation  that  Jean  and 
Sweet  Mam'selle  were  invited  to  La  Saintc  Crokc 
and  entrusted  with  the  secrets  of  the  Jewish 
household.  After  that,  events  piled  one  upon 
another  with  that  fatal,  confusing  rapidity  which 
usually  precedes  disaster. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE 

THE  Little  King,  the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal 
had  been  voluntary  prisoners  in  the  Palais 
Royal  for  many  months  because  of  the 
hatred  the  Parisians  bore  the  Cardinal  and  the 
Queen.  The  people  always  loved  their  child  king 
and  after  the  burden  of  the  House  Tax  had  been 
removed  by  his  childish  command,  he  had  become 
dearer  to  them  than  ever  before.  Long  confine- 
ment in  the  palace  was  beginning  to  tell  on  his 
health,  so  once  in  a  while  he  was  permitted  to 
go  out  incognito  with  his  nurse,  Sweet  Mam'selle. 
Of  course,  these  occasions  were  red  letter  days  to 
the  Little  King. 

One  evening  Jean,  Sweet  Mam'selle,  Baptiste 
and  Miriam  planned  to  go  to  the  country,  out 
in  the  direction  of  the  Bois  de  Vincennes  to  spend 
the  afternoon  on  the  following  Sunday.  When 

157 


i58  THE  LITTLE  KING 

told  of  the  excursion,  the  Little  King  at  once 
said  that  he,  too,  would  go. 

"We  will  see  if  it  can  be  arranged,"  said  the 
King's  governor,  the  Marquis  de  Villeroi,  when 
His  Majesty  told  him  of  his  intention. 

"We  will  see?"  exclaimed  the  King,  angrily. 
"Who  are  you,  M.  le  Marquis,  to  say  that  you 
will  see  what  the  King  shall  do?  You  are 
always  interfering  in  my  affairs.  Wait  till  I  am 
crowned,  and  I  will  show  you  who  is  King  in 
a  way  you  will  not  like." 

The  Marquis,  in  common  with  every  one  else 
about  the  court,  was  beginning  to  have  a  whole- 
some dread  of  the  day  when  the  Little  King 
should  be  crowned.  The  result  was  that  His 
Majesty  was  growing  more  imperious  day  by  day 
and  had  his  will  in  nearly  everything.  He  would 
soon  be  ten  years  old.  At  fourteen  he  would 
be  crowned.  He  had  a  good  memory  and  four 
years  is  a  very  short  time.  No  King  could  be 
expected  to  forget  an  injury,  fancied  or  real,  in 
so  brief  a  period,  however  quickly  he  might 
forget  a  benefit.  So  every  one  about  the  King, 
with  perhaps  the  one  exception  of  the  Queen, 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  159 

was  growing  wary  of  this  child,  who  would  soon 
hold  life  and  fortune  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand. 

"We  shall  have  two  other  friends  with  us, 
Your  Majesty,"  suggested  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

"Who  are  they?"  asked  the  King. 

"Monsieur  Baptiste  Guiron  and  his  sweetheart, 
Mam'selle  Miriam,"  answered  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

"Baptiste  Guiron,"  said  the  Little  King,  trying 
to  think.  "Oh,  he  is  the  man  who  helped  you 
to  find  me  the  night  I  was  lost  with  Louise 
Jarbeau.  That  was  the  night  you,  M.  le  Mar- 
quis, thrust  me  from  your  carriage  steps  in  front 
of  the  Bastile." 

The  Little  King  had  never  forgiven  his  gov* 
ernor  that  moment  of  blindness. 

"I  beg  Your  Majesty  not  to  mention  that  awful 
mistake,"  pleaded  the  Marquis;  "I  was  half 
crazed  with  fear  lest  harm  should  befall  you, 
and  was  not  responsible  for  what  I  did." 

"You  should  not  have  thrust  me  off  so  cruelly, 
even  had  I  been  only  what  you  thought  I  was, 
a  boy  of  the  street." 

"I  pray  forgiveness,"  answered  the  Marquis; 
"I  was  guilty  of  a  great — " 


i6o 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


"Never  mind,  M.  le  Marquis,"  interrupted  the 
King;  "You  go  to  the  Queen  and  bring  me  her 
consent  to  go  with  Sweet  Mam'selle  to  the  Bois 
de  Vincennes  next  Sunday  and  I'll  forgive  you. 
If  the  Queen  refuses,  I'll  hang  you  the  day  after 
I  am  crowned." 


In  the  course  of  an  hour  the  Marquis  returned. 
The  King  had  grown  impatient.  When  Villeroi 
entered  the  room,  the  little  despot  exclaimed  angrily : 

"A  whole  hour,   M.   le   Marquis!     If  you   con- 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  i6f 

tinue  to  be  as  tardy  on  the  King's  business — well, 
just  wait  till  I  am  crowned!" 

The  office  of  governor  to  the  King  had  ceased 
to  be  a  sinecure. 

"I  was  delayed  in  obtaining  an  audience  with 
the  Queen,  Your  Majesty,'*  answered  Villeroi. 

"Did  she  know  you  sought  her  with  a  message 
from  me?"  asked  the  King. 

"Yes,  Your  Majesty.  The  Queen  graciously 
consents." 

"Well,  when  I  am  crowned,  her  Majesty — had 
better — had  better — "  The  King  stopped,  hardly 
knowing  what  he  would  do  with  his  mother  after 
he  was  crowned.  He  could  hang  everybody  else, 
but  that  course  with  his  mother  might  be  ques- 
tionable. So  he  dropped  the  subject,  turned  to 
Sweet  Mam'selle  and  said:  "I'll  wear  a  plain 
black  suit  and  a  hat  without  plumes.  Remove 
the  gold  buttons  from  one  of  my  dark  cloaks — 
the  one  I  wore  last — and  take  the  diamond  buck- 
les off  the  shoes.  We'll  get  Louise  and  take  her 
with  us." 

"Yes,  Your  Majesty,  if  the  Queen  consents," 
whispered  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

ii 


162  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"Go,  M.  le  Marquis!  Do  you  hear?  Go  to 
the  Queen  and  tell  her  that  we  intend  to  take 
Mam'selle  Louise  Jarbeau  with  us.  Oh,  I  wish 
I  were  crowned  now!"  He  stamped  his  foot 
impatiently.  "This  sending  off  to  the  Queen  every 
time  I  want  to  blink  my  eye  grows  irksome." 

Villeroi  returned  with  permission,  and  the  Lit- 
tle King  began  to  plan  the  excursion  in  detail. 

It  was  arranged  that  a  carriage,  though  not  a 
royal  carriage,  should  await  the  excursionists  just 
beyond  the  Porte  de  Vincennes.  In  the  carriage 
there  should  be  a  basket  well  filled  with  lunch, 
and  following  the  carriage  at  a  respectful  dis- 
tance, there  should  come  four  or  five  members  of 
the  Swiss  Guard  in  citizen's  garb.  The  King 
and  his  friends  would  walk  to  the  Porte  de 
Vincennes,  picking  up  Louise  Jarbeau  on  the  way, 
and  when  they  were  tired  walking,  they  would 
take  the  carriage  outside  the  gate. 

When  Baptiste  and  Miriam  were  informed  of 
the  honor  in  store  for  them,  they  were  delighted, 
and  when  Benoni  heard  the  news,  he  said:  "Every- 
thing seems  propitious.  I  hope  the  King  will 
learn  to  love  my  daughter  and  Baptiste.  If  so, 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  163 

we    may    easily    obtain    a    royal    sanction    to    the 
marriage." 

The  Little  King  thought  the  long  days  would 
never  drag  out  their  weary  way,  but  they  did,  and 
at  last  the  eventful  Sunday  came,  bringing  with  it 
a  bright,  soft  sun.  His  Majesty,  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle,  and  Jean  Breton 
went  to  Baptiste's  shop, 
where  the  King  received 
the  apothecary  with  a 
.gracious  smile.  While 
waiting  for  Miriam,  he 
stood  with  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle  at  the  back  door 
of  the  shop,  facing 
what  appeared  to  be  a 
blank  wall  less  than 
two  yards  away.  Sud- 
denly the  wall  opened  as 
if  by  magic,  and  from 
it  emerged  Benoni's  daughter,  fair  and  radiant 
as  an  houri,  and  strange  as  a  visitant  from  an- 
other world  to  the  eyes  of  the  Little  King. 


164  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"This  is  Monsieur  Baptiste's  sweetheart,  Mam- 
'selle  Miriam,  your  Majesty,"  said  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

Miriam  fell  to  her  knees  before  the  King,  who 
gazed  at  her  in  astonishment  for  a  moment,  and 
then  held  out  his  hand.  She  took  the  proffered 
hand  and  kissed  it  reverently.  She  remained  on 
her  knees  waiting  to  be  told  to  rise,  but  for  a 
time  the  Little  King  spoke  not  a  word.  He 
stood  a  full  minute,  gazing  at  Miriam's  beautiful 
face;  then  bent  forward  and  kissed  her  lips, 
after  which  he  stepped  back,  breathed  a  sigh  and 
murmured  half  in  reverie:  "Now  you  may  rise." 

The  hidden  gate  had  remained  ajar  during  the 
brief  scene,  so  that  when  Miriam  rose  the  Little 
King  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  beautiful  garden 
within  the  walls  of  La  Sainte  Croix.  Baptiste, 
noticing  his  glance,  hastened  to  close  the  gate, 
but  his  Majesty  was  too  quick  for  him,  and 
springing  forward,  entered  before  Baptiste  could 
reach  it. 

This  premature  discovery  alarmed  the  friends, 
for  their  plans  had  not  yet  fully  ripened.  But 
there  was  no  way  of  correcting  the  mistake,  so 
they  all  followed  the  King,  who  evidently  intended 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  165 

to  explore  the   strangest,   fairest  spot  of  earth  he 
had  ever  beheld. 

Baptiste  closed  the  gate  after  the  mischief  had 
been  done  and  awaited  the  will  of  his  Majesty. 
The  Little  King  walked  about  for  a  few  minutes 
in  open-eyed  wonder,  drinking  in  the  fairy-like 
beauties  of  the  place.  It  seemed  to  be  a  corner 
of  Paradise.  The  narrow  white  paths  between 
hedges  of  flowers  and  shrubs,  all  new  to  the 
King,  the  tiny  pergolas,  the  minareted  summer 
houses  of  fairy  mimicry,  the  miniature  trees  so 
small  that  their  shade  seemed  sufficient  only  for 
a  race  of  elves,  bewildered  and  enchanted  the 
King.  After  a  little  time  he  rubbed  his  eyes, 
clasped  Sweet  Mam'selle's  hand  and  asked: 

"Where   am  I?     What  place   is  this?" 

"This  is  Miriam's  home,"  answered  Sweet 
Mam'selle. 

"Is — is  tha — that  wh — why  she  is  so  beauti- 
ful?" stammered  the  Little  King 

"I  suppose  so,"  replied  Sweet  Mam'selle,  smiling. 

The  King  looked  about  him,  walked  through 
two  or  three  of  the  narrow  paths,  went  back  to 
Sweeet  Mam'selle  and  said  with  emphasis: 


i66  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"We'll  stay  here;  we'll  not  go  to  the  Bois  de 
Vincennes." 

"But  the  carriage  will  be  waiting  at  the  gates, 
and  the  Swiss  Guardsmen  will  be  there,"  sug- 
gested Sweet  Mam'selle. 

"You  go  and  tell  them  not  to  wait  for  me," 
said  the  Little  King,  turning  to  Jean. 

"But  they  will  not  believe  Monsieur  Jean,  my 
King,"  said  Sweet  Mam'selle.  "If  he  goes,  they 
will  return  to  the  palace  with  the  report  that  you 
are  lost.  Then  the  Cardinal  and  M.  le  Marquis 
will  send  out  to  find  you  and  our  fine  day  will 
be  spoiled.  Besides  we  promised  to  take  Louise 
Jarbeau,  and  she  will  be  waiting  all  decked  out 
in  her  clean  mass  gown.  We  must  go  to  the 
Porte  de  Vincennes,  my  King." 

"Then  we'll  all  go  together,  and  I'll  tell  the 
carriage  and  the  Swiss  Guardsmen  that  I  don't 
want  them.  We'll  get  Louise  Jarbeau  and  come 
back  here,  and  we'll  shut  the  gate,  and  no  one 
will  know  where  I  am." 

Little  Majesty  was  determined;  there  was  no 
other  course  for  Sweet  Mam'selle  to  take,  so 
they  all  hurried  off  to  the  Porte  de  Vincennes. 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  167 

They  went  first  to  seek  Louise  Jarbeau,  whom 
they  found  playing  with  a  half  score  of  children, 
dogs  and  goats.  She  wore  her  mass  gown,  which 
had  been  clean  earlier  in  the  morning,  but  was 
sadly  the  worse  for  contact  with  numerous  boys, 
compared  to  whom  the  goats  and  dogs  were 
shining  examples  of  cleanliness. 

When  Louise  espied  the  King,   she  cried  out: 

"Oh,  there's  Fourteen!"  Then  she  ran  to  his 
Majesty,  who  received  her  with  a  childish,  stately 
smile,  and  with  a  courtliness  never  excelled  in  his 
later  days,  introduced  the  new  friends: 

"Mam'selle  Louise  Jarbeau,  I  present  you  to 
Monsieur  Baptiste  and — and  his  sweetheart." 

Louise,  who  was  not  in  a  gracious  mood  that 
morning,  simply  glanced  toward  Miriam  and  Bap- 
tiste without  in  any  way  acknowledging  the  in- 
troduction; then  took  Fourteen  by  the  hand,  saying: 

"Now  we  can  play  real  hide  and  seek.  There 
is  a  goat  here  that  can  find  you  no  matter  where 
you  hide." 

The  temptation  to  play  hide  and  seek  with  the 
wonderful  goat  was  hard  for  the  King  to  resist, 
but  a  glance  up  to  Miriam's  face  recalled  the 


i68 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


beauties    of    La    Sainte    Croix,    so    he    answered, 
smiling : 


"We'll  play  with  the  goat  some  other  time, 
Louise.  We  are  going  now  to  the  Porte  de 
Vincennes  to  get  our  lunch  basket;  then  we  are 
going  back  to  the  house  of  Mam'selle — Mam- 
'selle — "  He  paused,  turned,  smiling,  toward 
Miriam,  and  said  in  his  childish  courtly  manner: 
"I  ,  crave  pardon.  The  name  has — has — I  have 
forgotten  it." 

"Mam'selle  Miriam,"  interposed  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle. 

"Yes,  we  are  going  to  the  beautiful  home  of 
Mam'selle  Miriam,"  said  the  King. 

Louise  hung  in  the  wind  for  a  moment,  think- 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  169 

ing  of  the  disagreeable  afternoon  she  had  spent 
in  Fourteen's  house,  then  began  to  pout,  and 
drawing  away  from  the  King,  said  with  emphasis: 

"I  don't  want  to  go  to  anybody's  home,  and 
I  won't  go." 

Louise's  "won't"  was  a  word  to  be  respected, 
for  she  belonged,  every  inch  of  her,  to  that  large 
and  interesting  class  of  Eve's  descendants  who 
won't  when  they  won't.  She  was  perhaps  the 
only  person  in  France  who  would  have  dared  say 
"won't"  to  Louis  XIV. 

The  Little  King,  startled  by  the  unusual 
word,  looked  at  Louise  for  a  moment  with  a 
smile  of  amusement,  then  turned  to  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle  and  shrugged  his  shoulders  as  if  to  say: 
"In  a  case  like  this,  even  a  king  is  helpless." 
But  he  wanted  Louise.  With  her  impertinent 
little  airs,  she  was  even  more  beautiful  to  him 
than  the  golden-haired  Miriam,  so  he  turned  to 
her  smiling. 

"But  I — I  wa — want  you  to — to  co — come  with 
us,"  he  said,  stammeringly. 

Louise  looked  at  him  for  a  moment,  laughed 
softly  and  observed:  "Why,  you  talk  like  a  goat.'* 


170  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Surely  Louise  was  not  in  a  pleasant  mood  this 
morning. 

Sweet  Mam'selle  stepped  quickly  to  her  side, 
and  caught  her  by  the  shoulder,  shaking  her 
gently. 

"If  you  speak  so  disrespectfully,  we'll  not  take 
you  with  us,  and  we'll  never  come  for  you  again." 

"I  don't  care,"  answered  Louise,  shaking  off 
Sweet  Mam'selle's  hand.  "I'd  rather  play  with 
the  goat  anyway." 

She  gave  convincing  evidence  of  her  preference 
by  starting  toward  the  group  of  boys,  goats  and 
dogs  that  stood  at  a  respectful  distance  watching 
Louise  and  her  fine  friends. 

"We'll  leave  her  here,"  said  Sweet  Mam'selle, 
turning  to  go.  But  the  King  plucked  her  by  the 
sleeve,  saying : 

"Tell  her  we  have  a  nice  lunch  with  sugar 
bonbons  in  the  basket." 

Sweet  Mam'selle  was  reluctant,  but  she  went 
to  Louise  again  and  said: 

"We  have  a  nice  basket  of  lunch  in  the  car- 
riage down  by  the  Porte  de  Vincennes.  There 
are  bonbons,  and  all  sorts  of  good  things  to  eat." 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  171 

But  "good  things"  to  Fourteen  and  Sweet 
Mam'selle  were  not  "good  things"  to  Louise. 
She  had  dined  once  in  the  Palais  Royal  and  had 
found  the  cooking  detestable.  After  a  moment's 
hesitancy,  she  answered: 

"I'm  afraid  to  eat  with  a  knife,  and  I  won't 
eat  with  that  thing  that  has  three  sharp  points." 

However,  her  manner  showed  that  she  was 
wavering  and  wanted  to  be  coaxed.  Just  at  that 
moment  one  of  her  boy  friends,  probably  a  cousin 
to  the  goat,  whispered: 

"Don't  go  with  them,  Louise.  They'll  eat 
your 

Here  was  opposition  from  the  other  side  of 
the  case,  and  that  morning  opposition  from  any 
source  was  especially  obnoxious  to  Louise. 

Sweet  Mam'selle  took  a  step  or  two  backward, 
indicating  that  she  and  the  King  were  going  to 
leave.  The  boy's  advice  seemed  to  impel  Louise 
to  take  the  opposite  course,  so  she  looked  up  to 
Sweet  Mam'selle  and  asked: 

"Have   you   lots  of   meat   in   the  basket?" 

"Yes,  yes.  You  may  have  all  the  meat  you 
want  if  you  come  with  us."  • 


172  THE  LITTLE  KING 

On  receiving  this  glad  news,  Louise  dimpled 
and  smiled,  took  Sweet  Mam'selle's  hand  and 
walked  graciously  over  to  his  Majesty,  King 
Louis  XIV,  who  had  been  cooling  his  heels, 
waiting  on  her  whim. 

The  King  was  very  happy  because  of  Louise's 
change  of  temper,  and  gave  the  word  to  start 
for  the  Porte  de  Vincennes.  There  they  found 
the  Swiss  Guardsmen,  the  carriage  and  the  basket 
of  lunch  with  "lots  of  meat"  in  it.  To  Louise 
and  to  most  of  the  people  of  Paris,  meat  was 
the  ne  plus  ultra  of  good  things  to  eat. 

The  King  being  tired  with  his  long  walk,  Sweet 
Mam'selle  suggested  that  they  all  ride  back  to 
the  Rue  de  Bethisy  and  stop  at  the  Rue  Sainte 
Croix,  where  they  would  dismiss  the  carriage  for 
the  day.  The  disguised  Swiss  Guardsmen  received 
no  instructions  so  they  followed  the  King,  running 
to  keep  him  in  view. 

When  the  carriage  was  dismissed  at  the  foot 
of  Rue  Sainte  Croix,  the  Swiss  Guardsmen  con- 
tinued to  follow  the  King  at  a  respectful  dis- 
tance, and  when  they  saw  him  enter  Baptiste's 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  173 

shop,  loitered   about  the   door,  waiting  like   faith- 
ful watchdogs   for  him   to  come  out. 

After  waiting  an  hour  or  more,  the  captain 
of  the  little  Swiss  company,  who  was  an  honest, 
earnest,  thick-skulled  fellow  from  the  Canton  of 
Berne,  began  to  fear  that  evil  had  befallen  the 
King,  so  he  knocked  at  the  closed  door  of  Bap- 
tiste's  shop.  Receiving  no  response,  for  the  King 
and  his  friends  were  within  the  walls  of  La 
Sainte  Croix  and  could  not  hear,  the  worthy 
Switzer  continued  to  knock  and  after  a  time 
broke  down  the  door.  The  noise  he  made  at- 
tracted a  crowd  of  curious  idlers,  who  tried  to 
follow  him  when  he  entered  the  shop;  but  they 
were  driven  back,  and  the  broken  street  door 
was  barricaded  from  within. 

Immediately  the  news  spread  throughout  the 
street,  and  thence  up  and  down  the  Rue  de 
Bethisy,  that  four  men  had  broken  into  the  shop 
of  Baptiste  Guiron.  In  a  very  short  time  the 
crowd  of  curious  idlers  was  augmented  by  many 
others  who  came  to  see  but  remained  to  riot. 
Meantime,  the  Swiss  Guardsmen  searched  the  shop 
and  the  Jew's  room  upstairs,  seeking  the  Little 


174  THE  LITTLE  KING 

King.  Failing  to  find  him,  they  opened  the  back 
door  of  the*  shop,  only  to  discover  a  small  court, 
closed  in  by  a  high  stone  wall  in  which  no  open- 
ing could  be  found. 

The  Swiss  Captain  and  his  men  became  greatly 
alarmed  for  the  King's  safety.  They  had  been 
sent  to  protect  him  and  would  be  held  responsible 
if  evil  befell  him.  After  carefully  examining  the 
walled  court,  they  returned  to  the  shop  and  went 
to  the  Jew's  rooms  to  discover,  if  possible,  a  door 
or  opening  through  which  the  King  might  have 
been  spirited  away. 

While  the  Swiss  were  pursuing  their  search 
upstairs,  the  crowd  in  front  of  the  shop,  wishing 
to  prevent  robbery,  broke  down  the  barricaded 
street  door  and  rushed  in  to  seize  the  robbers. 
Hearing  the  commotion  in  the  shop,  the  Swiss 
came  downstairs,  and  were  immediately  seized  and 
bound. 

It  had  been  the  policy  of  Louis  XIII,  who 
established  the  Swiss  Guard,  to  select  for  Palace 
Men  those  who  could  not  speak  French,  believing 
that  they  would  be  less  apt  to  learn  treason  from 
the  Parisians.  Thus  it  happened  that  only  one 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  175 

of  the  men  who  had  been  sent  to  guard  the 
King  could  speak  French  at  all,  and  his  vocabu- 
lary was  limited  to  a  few  words.  He  tried  to 
explain  to  his  assailants  that  he  was  seeking  the 
King,  but  they  could  not  or  would  not  under- 
stand him. 

The  Jew's  house  was  so  snugly  hidden  away 
from  the  world  that  only  a  great  noise  -could 
penetrate  the  walls,  but  the  disturbance  in  Jean's 
shop  was  so  great  that  it  was  heard  in  the  little 
garden,  and  Baptiste  ran  to  the  rescue. 

When  he  entered  the  back  door  of  the  shop 
and  beheld  the  angry  crowd  surrounding  the 
prostrate  Swiss,  he  demanded  the  reason  for  the 
outrage. 

"These  men  broke  down  your  shop  door  and 
were  robbing  you,"  said  one  of  the  crowd,  point- 
ing to  the  Guardsmen. 

"Nothing  of  the  sort!"  cried  Baptiste,  angrily. 
"They  are  friends  of  mine.  Get  out  of  my  shop 
or  I'll  call  the  Prefect's  police!" 

After  much  persuasion,  he  succeeded  in  clearing 
the  shop.  Then  he  closed  the  door  and  cut  the 
ropes  that  bound  the  Swiss  Guardsmen. 


176  THE  LITTLE  KING 

With  difficulty  the  Captain  made  it  understood 
that  he  was  seeking  the  Little  King.  Baptiste 
saw  the  honest  fellow's  mistake  and  tried  to 
explain : 

"If  you  will  return  to  the  street,  the  King  will 
come  to  you  at  once  and  will  assure  you  that  he 
is  well  and  unhurt." 

The  Captain  was  stubborn  and  insisted  on  being 
led  to  the  King,  but  after  much  importunity,  con- 
sented to  wait  in  the  street  five  minutes.  Within 
that  time  the  Little  King  presented  himself  at 
the  door  of  the  shop  and  the  honest  Switzers 
gave  voice  to  their  joy  in  the  only  French  words 
they  thoroughly  knew : 

"Five   le   Roif" 

Immediately  the  crowd  took  up  the  shout, 
thereby  attracting  so  many  to  the  scene  that  soon 
the  little  Rue  Sainte  Croix  and  the  Rue  de 
Bethisy  were  filled  to  overflowing. 

The  shop  door  was  again  closed  and  a  council 
of  war  was  held  within.  Sweet  Mam'selle  wanted 
the  King  to  return  to  the  Jew's  house,  while 
Jean  Breton  went  to  the  Palais  Royal  to  bring  a 
large  detachment  of  Swiss  Guards  to  conduct  his 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  177 

Majesty  home.  But  the  Little  King  spoke  up 
bravely : 

"No,  I'll  go  home  with  you.  I  don't  fear  my 
people.  Come  with  me,  Sweet  Mam'selle.  I'll 
take  Louise:  you  follow  with  Monsieur  Jean  and 
Monsieur  Baptiste." 

When  all  were  ready,  he  ordered  the  door 
opened,  took  frightened  Louise  by  the  hand,  and 
holding  it  up  in  his  courtly  fashion  as  if  he 
were  walking  through  a  cotillion,  stepped  to  the 
doorsill,  waved  his  hat  to  the  people  and  smiled. 
A  great  shout  of  "Five  le  Roi!"  went  up  not 
only  from  the  throat  but  from  the  heart  of  every 
man  who  saw  the  beautiful  Little  King.  Then 
he  held  up  his  hand  for  silence  and  spoke  to 
them: 

"I  thank  you,  my  good  people,  and  now  I 
want  you  to  make  way  for  me  so  that  I  may 
go  home." 

He  stepped  bravely  down  to  the  pavement.  An 
aisle  was  made  through  the  crowd,  and  as  he 
passed  between  its  human  walls,  always  holding 
up  Louise's  hand,  the  people  fell  on  their  knees, 
called  God's  blessing  on  his  head,  touched  him 
12 


178 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


reverently  as  he  passed,  kissed  the  skirts  of  his 
"plain  black  cloak"  and  wept  in  an  ecstacy  of 
hero  worship  such  as  could  have  sprung  from 


the  hearts  of  no  people  save  the  French.  How 
it  was  possible  for  Louis  XIV  and  his  successor 
to  turn  this  great  love  to  burning  hatred  is 
one  of  the  mysteries  of  human  depravity  which 
surely  no  one  can  understand. 

Jean,  Sweet  Mam'selle  and  Baptiste  followed 
the  King  and  Louise.  Two  men  of  the  crowd 
took  it  on  themselves  to  clear  the  way  for  the 
King,  so  he  easily  passed  through  and  soon  started 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  179 

up  the  Rue  de  Bethisy  on  his  way  to  the  Palais 
Royal,  the  crowd  following  at  his  heels.  A  baby 
king  on  the  streets  of  Paris  accompanied  by  a 
baby  girl  from  the  gutter  was  a  sight  as  new  as 
it  was  interesting  to  the  Parisians.  The  crowd 
gathered  numbers  as  it  moved,  and  long  before 
it  arrived  at  the  Palais  Royal  had  assumed  large 
proportions. 

The  news  that  a  mob  was  approaching  spread 
quickly  to  the  royal  apartments,  carrying  terror 
to  the  hearts  of  the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal. 
Every  one  hurried  to  the  windows  of  the  King's 
apartments  over  the  gate,  and  when  they  saw  the 
great  crowd  marching  up  the  street  with  the 
courtly  Little  King  in  the  lead,  still  holding  up 
Louise's  hand  cotillion  fashion,  their  fear  changed 
to  wonder  and  their  wonder  to  amusement,  for 
the  crowd  marched  in  orderly  silence  and  with 
bared  heads.  They  were  bringing  home  their 
pompous  Little  King. 

When  Louis  reached  the  palace,  Rupert,  the 
captain  of  the  Swiss  Guard,  opened  the  gates 
for  his  Majesty,  but  the  King  beckoned  to  him 
to  come  outside.  Rupert  was  very  tall.  When 


i8o  THE  LITTLE  KING 

he  knelt,  cap  in  hand,  before  the  Little  King, 
Louis  whispered : 

"Lift  me  to  your  shoulder,  Monsieur  Rupert, 
and  stand  on  the  mounting  block,  just  as  tall  as 
you  can  make  yourself." 

In  a  moment  the  Little  King  was  seated  on 
the  shoulder  of  the  tall  Swiss  captain,  who  im- 
mediately climbed  to  the  mounting  block  near  the 
gate.  Instantly  Louise  was  standing  by  his  side 
on  the  block.  She  had  no  intention  of  being 
left  out  of  the  interesting  occasion. 

For  a  moment  the  Little  King  overlooked 
the  crowd,  then  waved  his  hat  and  kissed  his 
hand.  The  shout  of  gladness  that  answered  his 
salute  was  balm  to  the  fearful  hearts  within  the 
palace.  After  allowing  the  crowd  to  shout  itself 
hoarse,  the  Little  King  lifted  his  hand  to  com- 
mand silence,  and  when  quiet  was  restored,  spoke 
in  clear,  childish  tones: 

"I  thank  you,  my  good  people,  for  bringing 
me  home.  When  I  am  crowned  I'll  be  a  good 
king  to  you  and  make  you  as  happy  as  I  can. 
Now,  please  go  home  and  love  your  Little  King." 

Then    the    gates    were    opened    and    the    Little 


THE  OLD  CLOISTER  HOUSE  181 

King  entered  the  palace  on  the  shoulder  of  his 
tall  captain,  followed  by  the  glad  shouts  of  the 
people.  As  he  was  passing  through  the  gates,  he 
called  to  Louise  who  was  still  on  the  mounting 
block. 

"Come  in,  Louise,  come  in!" 

Sweet  Mam'selle  offered  to  lift  Louise  to  the 
ground,  saying : 

"Fourteen  wants  you  to  go  into  the  palace 
with  him." 

But  Louise  shook  her  head  emphatically,  as 
she  answered : 

"I  don't  want  to  go  in  there  and  I  won't.  I 
was  in  there  once  and  I  didn't  like  it" 

She  suited  the  action  to  the  word,  sprang  from 
the  mounting  block  and  was  almost  lost  in  the 
crowd  before  Jean  Breton  could  overtake  her. 
But  he  caught  her  and  took  her  home,  where  he 
left  her  very  happy,  playing  hide  and  seek  with 
the  wonderful  goat  "that  could  find  you  no  mat- 
ter where  you  hid." 


CHAPTER  VII 
THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW 

OF  course  the  adventures  of  the  Little  King 
must  be  told  to  the  Queen  and  the  Car- 
dinal, so  after  much  questioning  he  under- 
took the  narrative.  He  soon  began  to  stammer 
and  Sweet  Mam'selle  was  commanded  to  finish. 
She  told  the  story  of  the  day,  speaking  briefly  as 
possible  of  the  house  of  La  Sainte  Croix,  re- 
ferring to  it  only  as  the  home  of  Monsieur  Bap- 
tiste  Guiron's  sweetheart.  She  introduced  Bap- 
tiste,  whom  the  king  had  invited  into  the  palace, 
and  explained  that  he  was  one  of  the  friends 
who  had  helped  to  find  the  King  when  his  Maj- 
esty was  lost.  She  made  no  mention  of  Benoni, 
but  laid  great  stress  on  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
people,  saying : 

"I  know  little  of  the  affairs  of  state,  but 
despite  my  ignorance,  I  feel  sure  that  his  Majesty 
is  nearer  to  the  hearts  of  his  people  than  ever 

182 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW 


183 


before.  When  they  saw  him  among  them,  trusting 
them  implicitly,  it  brought  tears  to  their  eyes, 
and  when  he  walked  in  their  midst,  so  bold  and 


brave,  they  fell  to  their  knees  and  poured  out 
their  love  at  his  feet.  I  hope  and  believe,  your 
Majesty  and  your  Eminence,  that  this  day's  work 
by  our  Little  King  will  make  your  tasks  easier 
and  will  make  the  people  of  France  happier." 

Before  she  had  finished  speaking,  tears  came  to 
her    eyes    and    she    fell    to    her  knees    beside    the 


184  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Little  King,  clasping  him  in  her  arms  as  he 
placed  his  cheek  against  hers. 

The  Cardinal  was  far  too  shrewd  a  statesman 
not  to  see  that  the  Little  King  had  done  more 
in  one  day  to  soften  the  hearts  of  the  Parisians 
and  to  win  their  submission  than  his  Eminence, 
the  Queen  and  all  the  ministers  had  been  able  to 
do  in  years.  He  knew  that  the  story  would  travel 
to  every  part  of  France  and  would  touch  the  hearts 
of  the  French  people;  he  knew  that  to  govern 
an  ignorant  people,  one  must  arouse  their  love; 
he  knew  that  the  most  despotic  tyrant  could  hold 
a  people  in  submission  only  by  holding  their 
hearts  and  by  keeping  them  from  thinking;  therefore, 
he  knew  that  the  Little  King,  by  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle's  help,  had  stemmed  the  tide  of  public 
hatred,  at  least  for  a  time,  and  had  given  his 
Eminence  a  new  lease  of  despotic  power. 

So  it  turned  out  that  the  adventure,  which 
might  have  brought  trouble  to  Sweet  Mam'selle, 
brought  credit  to  her.  The  Queen,  the  Cardinal, 
the  Due  d'Orleans  and  all  the  courtiers  had  been 
terribly  frightened  when  they  saw  the  crowd  of 
people  marching  on  the  palace.  But  when  the 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW  185 

affair  turned  out  so  favorably,  their  fear  changed 
to  hysterical  joy  and  Sweet  Mam'selle,  the  King's 
humble  nurse,  became  for  the  moment  a  person 
of  importance. 

After  their  Majesties  and  the  Cardinal  had  re- 
ceived the  congratulations  of  the  courtiers,  the 
King  began  to  tell  them  of  the  beauties  of  La 
Sainte  Croix. 

"Ajid  Monsieur  Baptiste's  sweetheart!  You 
should  see  her!"  cried  the  King,  enthusiastically. 
"She  is  not  like  our  women.  Her  eyes  are  blue, 
not  black,  and  her  hair  is  the  color  of — of — it 
is  like  copper  and  gold.  You  never  saw  any  one 
so  beautiful!" 

"Yes,  yes,  tell  us  more  about  her,"  pleaded  the 
Due  d'Orleans. 

The  Cardinal,  too,  pricked  up  his  ears  and  said 
in  his  oily,  unctious  manner: 

"Ah,    golden   hair,    say  you?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  King.  "And — and — "  Just 
at  that  point  he  caught  a  glance  from  Sweet 
Mam'selle's  eyes  and  stopped  speaking.  Urged 
by  the  Duke  and  the  Cardinal,  he  stammered  for 
a  moment,  turned  to  Sweet  Mam'selle  and  said: 


i86  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"You — you  te — tell   them    about   her." 

Sweet  Mam'selle  said:  "There  is  little  to  tell 
about  her,  your  Eminence,  save  that  she  is  a 
very  worthy  young  girl,  and  the  fiancee  of  our 
friend  here,  Monsieur  Baptiste." 

"But  her  beauty;  tell  us  of  it,"  insisted  the 
Duke. 

"She  is  rather  pretty,  but  I  fear  your  Highness 
would  not  admire  her,"  answered  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle. "Her  hair  and  eyes  are  of  a  light  color, 
but—" 

"Your  Majesty  just  said  she  was  wonderfully 
beautiful,"  said  the  Duke,  turning  toward  the 
King. 

Louis  did  not  know  why  Sweet  Mam'selle 
wished  to  conceal  the  fact  of  Miriam's  beauty, 
but  he  felt  sure  she  had  a  good  reason,  so  he 
turned  his  back  on  Baptiste  and  said,  in  under- 
tones, to  the  Due  d'Orleans: 

"All  ladies  are  beautiful,  Uncle.  I  praised 
this  one  to  please  her  lover,  Monsieur  Baptiste." 

The  Queen,  the  Cardinal  and  the  Duke  ex- 
changed smiling  glances  and  shrugged  their 
shoulders;  Sweet  Mam'selle  breathed  a  sigh  of 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW  187 

relief,  and  the  King  was  more  convinced  than 
ever  that  the  less  he  said  about  La  Sainte  Croix 
and  Miriam,  the  better  it  would  be  for  them. 

The  damage  to  Baptiste's  shop  proved  to  be 
small  and  easily  repaired.  The  kindliness  of  the 
crowd  and  the  abject  apologies  of  the  too  earnest 
Swiss  Guardsmen  went  a  long  way  toward  giv- 
ing the  whole  affair  a  humorous  complexion,  and 
removed  all  anger  or  fear  from  the  hearts  of 
Baptiste  and  Benoni.  Then,  too,  the  pride  they 
felt  in  having  had  the  King  under  their  roof 
would  have  been  balm  to  a  far  more  serious 
wound. 

One  evening,  not  long  after  the  eventful  Sun- 
day, Jean  Breton  and  Sweet  Mam'selle  went  over 
to  La  Sainte  Croix,  where  the  good  though  mis- 
taken motives  of  the  Swiss  Guardsmen  were  dis- 
cussed and  laughed  over. 

While  sipping  a  glass  of  rose  wine,  Benoni 
said: 

"If  we  could  see  more  of  the  King,  we  might 
be  able  to  obtain  his  royal  sanction  to  the  mar- 
riage which  is  so  near  our  hearts." 


i88  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"I  feel  sure  we  can  bring  his  Majesty  here 
again,"  said  Sweet  Mam'selle.  "I  know  he  will 
be  glad  to  come,  and  as  the  last  visit  turned  out 
so  satisfactorily  to  the  Cardinal,  I  am  equally 
sure  his  Eminence  and  her  Majesty  will  consent, 
especially  as  the  King  needs  recreation.  Every 
one  at  court  is  trying  to  invent  entertainment  for 
the  King's  birthday.  Our  poor  little  King  cer- 
tainly does  need  amusement." 

"Perhaps  you  might  induce  her  Majesty  and 
his  Eminence  to  come  with  you  and  the  King 
some  evening  if  you  drop  a  hint  of  the  entertain- 
ment we  can  give  them  here,"  suggested  Benoni. 

"The  Cardinal,  being  a  churchman,  might  ob- 
ject to  what  he  would  see  in  our  house,"  said 
Baptiste.  "Black  Magic  is  under  the  bane,  you 
know." 

"It  should  not  be,"  said  Benoni.  "The  great- 
est works  on  Black  Magic  are  the  book  of  Pope 
Honorius  and  the  Great  Key  of  King  Solomon. 
Surely  when  the  Pope  and  King  Solomon  teach 
an  art,  it  cannot  be  evil,  and  so  wise  a  man  as 
his  Eminence  cannot  find  evil  in  it.  But  all  that 
I  shall  show  them  can  be  explained  on  purely 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW  189 

natural  principles,  though  I  admit  that  the  Prince 
of  Darkness  may  have  a  great  deal  to  do  with 
certain  strange  and  unusual  manifestations  of  nat- 
ural forces." 

"That  is  all  true  but  will  his  Eminence  want 
to  believe  it?"  asked  Baptiste. 

"The  Cardinal  is  a  learned  man,"  answered 
Benoni,  "and  is  no  more  a  Christian  than  I  am. 
His  god  is  Mazarin  and  the  best  means  to  suc- 
cess is  his  religion.  I  feel  sure  that  I  could  in- 
terest him,  and  if  we  might  thereby  obtain  his 
sanction  under  seal,  Miriam  could  easily  be  taken 
into  the  Church,  and  the  object  of  my  life  at- 
tained in  the  happiness  of  my  two  children. 

The  plan  and  the  picture  were  alluring,  and 
the  little  party  of  friends  within  the  walls  of 
La  Sainte  Croix  spent  a  very  happy  evening 
discussing  them.  The  result  of  the  discussion 
was  that  Sweet  Mam'selle  consented  to  mention 
the  subject  to  the  King,  and  to  ask  him  to  men- 
tion it  to  the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal. 

When  the  Fates  would  ruin  a  man,  they  use 
alike  his  wisdom  and  his  folly,  his  virtues  and 
his  faults.  All  paths  lead  down  hill. 


igo  THE  LITTLE  KING 

So  it  was  with  poor  old  Benoni.  His  pride 
in  entertaining  royalty,  his  love  for  Miriam  and 
Baptiste,  his  wise,  adroit  plan  for  making  the 
seemingly  impossible  marriage  feasible,  all  has- 
tened the  day  of  his  sorrow. 

Sweet  Mam'selle,  though  instinctively  doubtful 
of  ultimate  good,  willingly  consented  to  take  the 
King  again  to  La  Sainte  Croix,  and  during  the 
week  following  the  family  council,  watched  for  a 
favorable  opportunity  of  broaching  the  subject 
to  him.  He  saved  her  the  trouble  by  informing 
her  one  Saturday  evening  that  he  intended  visit- 
ing Monsieur  Baptiste  and  his  sweetheart  the  fol- 
lowing day  after  mass. 

"Have  you  the  Queen's  consent,  and  the  Cardin- 
al's and  M.  le  Marquis'?"  asked  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

"The  Queen's  consent!  The  Cardinal's  con- 
sent! M.  le  Marquis!  Why  am  I  King  of 
France  if  I  must  ask  every  one's  consent  when- 
ever I  want  to  turn  around?" 

"I'll  take  you,  my  King,  without  any  one's 
consent,  if  you  insist,"  said  Sweet  Mam'selle, 
meekly.  "But  afterwards  I,  not  you,  shall  have 
to  pay  dearly  for  the  fault.  I  should  be  denied 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW  191 

the  pleasure  of  serving  you  and  of  loving  you, 
and  of  being  near  you.  That  would  break  my 
heart,  my  King.  Then,  also,  they  might  put  me 
in  the  Bastile,  as  they  did  once  before.  But  I'll 
take  you  if  you  wish." 

"No,  no!"  cried  the  Little  King,  throwing  his 
arms  passionately  about  her  neck.  "I'll  ask  every 
one.  I'll  say  to  the  Queen:  'Madam,  I  humbly 
beg  your  permission.'  I'll  say  to  my  governor: 
'Will  M.  le  Marquis  condescend  to  permit  the 
King  to  have  a  little  liberty?'  And  I'll  say  to 
the  Cardinal,  whom  I  hate:  'Will  your  Eminence 
graciously  permit  your  slave,  the  King,  to  go  out 
of  a  Sunday  after  mass?'  Oh,  the  Cardinal! 
Just  let  him  wait  till  I  am  crowned!  He'll  find 
the  border  of  France  much  too  far  south  for  his 
convenience !" 

Thus  it  came  about  that  with  everybody's  con- 
sent, Sweet  Mam'selle  and  Jean  Breton  again 
went  with  the  Little  King  to  visit  La  Sainte 
Croix  the  following  Sunday  after  mass. 

Soon  after  entering  the  garden,  rain  began  to 
fall,  whereupon  the  Little  King  and  his  friends 
sought  shelter  in  the  house.  The  cloister  win- 


192 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


dows  were  few  and  small,  so  the  dusk  interior, 
even  in  the  daytime,  was  lighted  by  hanging 
lamps  of  many  colored  crystal  and  fantastic 
shapes.  The  oriental  splendor  of  the  room,  with 
,its  bright  colored  cushions, 
its  quaint  divans,  its  soft 
.floor  rugs  woven  in  a  hun- 
dred mystic  patterns  and  as 
rnany  exquisite  hues,  bewil- 
dered the  King,  and  even 
rnore  than  the  fairy-like 
garden,  aroused  his  admira- 
'tion  and  awe.  At  first  he 
showed  signs  of  alarm  and 
clung  to  Sweet  Mam'selle's 
hand. 

Unobserved  by  the  King,  she  motioned  to  Jean 
and  Baptiste  to  leave  the  room,  and  when  she 
was  alone  with  her  little  master,  fell  to  her 
knees,  placing  her  arms  about  him. 

"Does  my  King  want  to  remain,  or  shall  we 
return  to  the  Palais  Royal?"  she  asked.  "The 
rain,  I  fear,  will  prevent  our  going  any  place 
else  to-day." 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW  193 

The  King  did  not  reply,  but  clung  more  closely 
to  Sweet  Mam'selle  and  continued  to  look  about 
him,  apparently  to  convince  himself,  if  possible, 
that  all  he  saw  was  real.  After  a  long  pause, 
Sweet  Mam'selle  said: 

"Monsieur  Jean  and  I  have  been  here  many 
times.  All  these  beautiful  things  are  real.  In 
the  East  the  houses  of  all  wealthy  persons  are 
like  this.  Mam'selle  Miriam's  father,  Monsieur 
Benoni,  is  from  the  East.  He  is  a  very  old  man 
and  a  very  good  man.  There  is  no  one 
here  save  him,  Mam'selle  Miriam  and  her 
mother.  Besides  you  know  you  may  trust  me; 
I  would  not  bring  you  into  danger.  Do  not- 
be  afraid." 

The  word  "afraid"  aroused  the  king's  manli- 
ness. He  disengaged  himself  from  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle's  arms,  took  a  step  or  two  from  her,  and 
said,  boldly: 

"I'm  not  afraid.  Nothing  can  harm  me.  I 
am  the  King." 

He  went  to  a  divan  piled  high  with  bright 
colored  cushions  and  showed  his  bravery  by  throw- 
ing them  all  to  the  floor,  laughing.  When  his 

13 


194  THE  LITTLE  KING 

eyes  had  grown  used  to  the  dusk,  he  looked  into 
every  corner,  peeked  into  all  the  quaint  cabinets, 
and  examined  the  room  thoroughly;  then  running 
back  to  Sweet  Mam'selle,  who  had  remained  kneel- 
ing, he  put  his  arm  about  her  neck,  laughed 
nervously  and  said: 

"I  thank  you  for  bringing  me  here.  I  never 
before  saw  anything  so  beautiful,  but  I'm  not 
afraid.  I  wasn't  afraid  at  first.  I  took  your 
hand  only  because  the  room  was  so  dark  I  could 
not  see  where  I  was  going.  You  don't  think  I 
was  afraid,  do  you,  Sweet  Mam'selle?" 

"No,  my  King.  I  know  you  are  brave.  I 
wonder  if  you  would  like  to  see  Monsieur  Benoni, 
Mam'selle  Miriam's  father?" 

"Yes,  yes!"  cried  the  Little  King,  eagerly, 
bolstering  up  his  courage  with  his  pride. 

"But  I  must  tell  you  about  him  before  you 
see  him,  if  you  wish  to  hear." 

"Yes,  yes.  Please  tell  me,"  answered  the  Kin^, 
whose  curiosity  was  now  thoroughly  aroused. 

"First,  my  King,  you  must  know  he  is  a  Jew," 
said  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

The   King  recoiled.     "A    Jew!"    he   exclaimed. 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW  195 

Of  all  things  on  earth,  a  Jew  was  the  most 
despicable,  not  only  to  the  King  but  to  all  who 
held  the  Christian  faith. 

"Yes,  a  Jew,"  continued  Sweet  Mam'selle.  "But 
I'll  tell  you  more  about  him.  He  is  a  good 
Jew;  better  than  many  Christians  you  and  I 
know.  Before  I  knew  Monsieur  Benoni  I  thought 
there  could  not  be  a  good  Jew,  but  after  I  knew 
him  I  changed  my  mind,  and  so  will  you,  my  King. 
Monsieur  Benoni  is  a  learned  physician,  who  de- 
votes his  time  to  healing  the  sick.  From  the 
rich  he  receives  pay,  but  from  the  poor  he  takes 
not  a  sou.  He  gives  alms  and  does  good  secretly. 
Before  your  Majesty  removed  the  House  Tax, 
Monsieur  Benoni  furnished  many  a  poor  man 
money  with  which  to  pay  the  tax  and  thereby 
save  his  home.  Monsieur  Baptiste  says — and  I 
believe  him — that  the  Jew  is  the  wisest  man  in 
Paris.  I'll  tell  you  something  else  if  you  will 
promise  never  to  tell  any  one." 

"I  promise,"  returned  the  King.  His  childish 
word  was  always  the  truth,  though  afterwards, 
in  a  moment  of  forgetfulness,  he  broke  this 
promise  to  the  Jew's  undoing. 


196  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"Your  Majesty  has  often  seen  Monsieur  Benoni 
In  the  palace;  in  your  very  bedroom." 

The  King  began  to  get  nervous  and  stammered : 

"Wh— wh— when,  ho— how?" 

"When  you  were  ill  with  the  smallpox,  he 
saved  your  life.  He  was  the  old  woman  that 
came  every  morning  to  teach  me  how  to  nurse 
you." 

The  King's  uneasiness  increased  visibly  as  he 
asked : 

"Ca — can  he — he  change  hi — himself  from  a 
man  to  a  woman,  and — and  th — then  t — to  a — 
a  m — man  again?" 

"No,  no,  my  King,"  answered  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle,  laughing.  "He  was  ordered  by  Seguine 
to  disguise  himself  as  a  woman,  so  that  no  one 
should  know  he  was  telling  Seguine  how  to  treat 
you." 

"Oh,  I  see  it  all  now!"  exclaimed  the  Little 
King.  "I  often  heard  her  explaining  to  Seguine 
what  to  do.  Then  when  the  old  woman  was 
gone,  Seguine  gave  the  orders  with  as  big 
a  voice  as  if  he  knew  what  he  was  about.  I 
always  thought  Seguine  was  a  fool.  Now  I 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW 


197 


know  he  is  also  a  knave.  I'll  hang  him  the  day 
after  I'm  crowned.  I  want  to  see  the  Jew!  Quick, 
quick!" 

Sweet  Mam'selle  touched  a  chime  of  bells  and 
Jean  Breton  immediately  entered  the  room. 

"I  want  Mam'selle  Miriam,  too,"  cried  the 
King. 

"Tell  Mam'selle  Miriam  and  Monsieur  Benoni 
that  the  King  wants  to  see  them,"  said  Sweet 
Mam'selle,  turning  toward  Jean. 

When  Jean  had  gone,  she  rose  and  led  the 
Little  King  to  a  divan,  where  he  sat  down  amid 
billows  of  many  colored  cushions. 


198  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Presently  Jean,  Baptiste  and  Miriam  came  in. 
Miriam  dropped  to  her  knee  before  the  King, 
who  leaned  forward  and  taking  her  face  between 
his  hands,  kissed  her  lips.  Then  he  leaned  back, 
looked  at  her  for  a  moment,  and  said: 

"You  seem  to  belong  here.  But  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle thinks  you  are  not  beautiful."  Turning 
quickly  to  Sweet  Mam'selle,  he  continued:  "Why 
did  you  not  want  me  to  tell  my  uncle  and  the 
Cardinal  that  Mam'selle  Miriam  was  beautiful? 
I  wondered  at  the  time,  but  forgot  to  ask  you 
afterward." 

"I'll  tell  your  Majesty  why  to-night,"  answered 
Sweet  Mam'selle. 

Miriam  remained  kneeling  until  the  King,  re- 
membering himself,  told  her  to  rise.  Then  Benoni 
entered,  went  to  the  King  and  knelt. 

After  the  Little  King  had  scrutinized  Benoni's 
face  carefully  for  a  minute  or  two,  he  said 
haltingly:  "You  had  no  beard  when  you  were 
a  woman,  and  came  to  tell  Seguine  how  to  cure  me." 

"No,  your  Majesty.  I  was  compelled,  much 
against  my  will,  to  shave  my  face  for  the  sake 
of  the  disguise." 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW  199 

"Sweet  Mam'selle  tells  me  you  are  very  wise 
and  learned,"  observed  the  King,  smothering  a 
yawn.  "Before  long  I'll  be  crowned  and  shall 
be  king  in  real  truth.  Then  I  suppose  I,  too, 
shall  have  to  be  wise  and  learned.  But  it  hurts 
my  head  to  try  to  be  wise  and  learned  now. 
Doesn't  it  hurt  your  head?" 

"No,   your  Majesty." 

"I  suppose  it  doesn't  hurt  one's  head  when 
one  gets  older.  Perhaps  one's  head  gets  harder 
when  it  gets  gray,"  observed  the  King. 

"I  believe  that  is  true,  your  Majesty,"  agreed 
Benoni.  "But  the  heart  should  not  grow  hard 
with  age." 

The  Little  King  yawned,  remained  silent  for 
a  moment,  and  answered: 

"The  Cardinal  is  always  saying  that  a  king 
should  have  no  heart  at  all  unless  it  is  as  hard 
as  a  rock.  He  said  he  learned  that  from 
Richelieu." 

"That  is  one  of  the  many  things  about  which 
I  don't  know,  your  Majesty,"  answered  the  Jew, 
humbly.  "The  Cardinal  is  far  more  learned  and 
much  wiser  than  I." 


200  THE  LITTLE  KING 

The    King   breathed   a    sigh: 

"Then  you  don't  know  much.  I'm  going  to 
hang  him  just  as  soon  as  I'm  crowned.  I'll 
hang  Monsieur  d'Emeri,  too,  and  my  uncle,  the 
Due  d'Orleans,  and  my  mother,  the  Queen,  too, 
if  she  doesn't — doesn't — " 

The  King  checked  his  words,  thinking  perhaps 
he  might  be  going  too  far  in  hanging  his  mother. 

"I'm  afraid  your  Majesty  is  already  hard- 
hearted," observed  Benoni,  laughing. 

"If  you  think  7  am,  you  should  know  the 
Cardinal  and  the  Queen  and  my  uncle,  and  oh, 
everybody  else  at  court.  They  would  hang  any 
one  for  a  sou.  I  love  Sweet  Mam'selle — oh,  I 
do  love  her,  and  Louise  and  Monsieur  Jean,  and 
I  believe  I'll  love  you.  Now  you  may  rise. 
And,  oh  yes,  I  love  Mam'selle  Miriam  best  of 
all  because  she  is  the  most  beautiful."  But  he 
glanced  toward  Sweet  Mam'selle  as  if  to  say: 
"Of  course,  excepting  you." 

"I  thank  your  Majesty,"  said  Benoni,  rising. 
"Mam'selle  Miriam  is  my  daughter,  as  you 
know." 

"Ah,  yes,  a  Jew,"   exclaimed  the  King. 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW 


201 


"Yes,  your  Majesty,  a  Jew,"  answered  Benoni. 

The  King  remained 
thoughtful  for  a  mo- 
ment, then  spoke  as  if 
to  himself: 

"Mam'selle  Miriam  a 
Jew's  daughter?" 

"Yes,  Your  Majesty," 
answered  Benoni,  but 
added  as  if  in  mitiga- 
tion:  "though  her 
mother  is  not  a  Jew." 

The    King    lay    back        X4 
among  the  cushions,  and  <r 
after  a  short  time,  spoke 
as     if     addressing     the 
ceiling : 

"Well — I — love — her  anyway.' 
his  elbow,  he  turned  to  Benoni:  "And  I'm  sure 
I  shall  love  you,  too.  Sweet  Mam'selle  says 
there  are  a  few — .  She,  too,  is  very  wise  and 
learned.  She  knows  almost  everything.  Her  head 
is  just  as  hard  as  it  can  be,  and  it  doesn't  hurt 
it  to  be  wise,  even  if  she  isn't  old  and  gray; 


Then  rising  to 


202  THE  LITTLE  KING 

and  her  heart — oh,  Jew,  you  should  know  her 
heart.  It  is  so  soft  and  tender — " 

He  sprang  from  the  divan,  ran  to  where  Sweet 
Mam'selle  was  standing,  climbed  to  a  hassock 
beside  her,  and  throwing  his  arms  about  her 
neck,  rested  his  head  upon  the  heart  he  knew  to 
be  soft,  loving  and  true.  After  a  moment  on 
Sweet  Mam'selle's  breast,  he  continued  speaking 
to  Benoni : 

"She  says  there  are  a  few  good  Jews  and  that 
you  are  one  of  them.  You  must  be  good  be- 
cause you  saved  my  life.  Sweet  Mam'selle  says 
you  did." 

"I  hope  that  I  helped  to  save  your  Majesty's 
life,"  answered  Benoni. 

After  a  long,  thoughtful  pause,  the  King  said: 
"But  of  course  you  did  it  for  pay?" 

Benoni  paused  before  answering;  but  the  unpro- 
pitious  Fates  were  leading  him,  and  he  said:  "I 
neither  sought  nor  received  one  sou  for  the  poor 
services  I  rendered  your  Majesty.  My  all-suffi- 
cient reward  was  your  Majesty's  recovery." 

"You  did  not  receive  a  sou?"  demanded  the 
King  in  astonishment.  "I  heard  the  Queen  tell 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW  203 

the  Cardinal  to  instruct  M.  d'Emeri  to  pay 
Seguine  five  thousand  gold  pistoles.  Yet  Seguine 
did  nothing  save  as  you  told  him.  I  heard  you 
tell  him." 

"Such  is  the  way  of  the  world,  your  Majesty. 
I  want  no  pay,"  said  Benoni,  beginning  to  be 
sorry  he  had  spoken. 

"But  you   shall  have  it !"   cried  the  King. 

The  Jew  saw  the  danger  he  had  brought  on 
himself,  and  hastened  to  avert  it  if  possible. 
Seguine's  enmity  would  mean  ruin  to  him  and 
all  his  cherished  hopes. 

"I  want  no  pay  and  I  told  M.  Seguine  I 
would  accept  none.  I  pray  your  Majesty  not  to 
speak  on  this  subject  at  court.  It  would  bring 
great  trouble  to  me.  There  may  come  a  time 
when  I  shall  ask  a  great  favor  at  your  hands, 
one  which  will  cost  you  nothing." 

"Ask  it  now,"  promptly  responded  the   King. 

"I  may  not  ask  it  now,"  returned  the  Jew. 
"The  time  is  not  ripe.  But  I  shall  ask  it  before 
long,  and  if  you  see  fit  to  grant  it,  I  shall  have 
a  reward  far  beyond  the  poor  services  of  which 
your  Majesty  speaks  so  graciously." 


204  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"When  you  ask  it,  it  shall  be  granted,  if  I 
can  grant  it,"  said  the  King.  "You  know,  Jew, 
that  the  Queen,  who  is  regent,  and  the  Cardinal, 
who  orders  her  as  he  wishes,  often  interfere  with 
my  will.  My  uncle,  the  Due  d'Orleans,  too, 
sometimes  takes  it  on  himself  to  thwart  my  pur- 
poses, and  I,  the  King!  Just  let  them  wait  till 
I  am  crowned!  But  in  your  case,  Jew,  it  shall 
be  as  you  ask." 

"I  feel  sure  the  Cardinal  and  the  Queen  will 
gladly  join  your  Majesty  in  granting  the  small 
favor  I  shall  ask — small  to  you,  but  oh,  so  great 
to  me!" 

The  King  thought  for  a  moment  and  prompted 
by  curiosity,  clung  to  his  inquiry: 

"I  should  like  very  much  to  know  at  once 
what  it  is  you  want." 

"If  your  Majesty  will  honor  me  by  coming  to 
my  poor  house  again  very  soon,  I  shall  be  only 
too  glad  to  tell  you,"  said  Benoni. 

"I'll  come  to-morrow  afternoon — no,  to-morrow 
the  Queen  gives  a  fete  for  the  Polish  ambassa- 
dors, and  I  must  be  there.  I  wish  they  had 
remained  at  home.  I'll  come  the  next  day." 


THE  KING  AND  THE  JEW  205 

"The  next  day  there  is  to  be  a  Bed  of  Justice, 
my  King,"  suggested  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

"Oh,  yes,  there  is,"  said  the  Little  King, 
impatiently.  "They  have  been  trying  for  a 
month  to  coax  me  to  go.  I  don't  want  to  go 
— nor  will  I  go.  But  Sweet  Mam'selle,  I  heard 
the  Cardinal  say  that  the  Estates  would  not  be 
ready  before  next  week.  So  I'll  come  the  day 
after  to-morrow,  Jew,  and  you  may  proffer  your 
request.  If  the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal  object 
to  my  granting  it,  I  won't  go  near  the  Parlia- 
ment. I  won't  hold  a  Bed  of  Justice  and  I 
should  like  to  see  a  Bed  of  Justice  without  the 
King." 

The  King's  suggestion  filled  Benoni's  heart  with 
joy,  for  it  seemed  to  clear  the  way  to  the  mar- 
riage of  Baptiste  and  Miriam. 

After  the  King  had  sipped  a  little  rose  wine, 
he,  Sweet  Mam'selle  and  Jean  took  their  leave, 
promising  to  return  the  second  day  after. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
BLACK  MAGIC 

THAT  evening  after  supper,  in  the  Queen's 
parlor,  the  Queen,  the  Cardinal  and  the 
Due  d'Orleans  were  discussing  the  all- 
absorbing  question  of  a  Bed  of  Justice.  It  was 
an  all-absorbing  subject  at  that  time,  because  the 
royal  treasury  was  empty  and  all  possible  methods 
of  filling  it  had  been  exhausted,  save  the  extreme 
remedy  of  a  Bed  of  Justice  to  be  held  before 
the  Parliament  by  the  Little  King.  After  they 
had  all  spoken,  the  Little  King,  who  was  brim- 
ming over  with  the  Jew's  secret,  though  he 
would  not  speak  of  it  because  of  Sweet  Mam'selle's 
admonition,  rose  from  the  floor  where  he  and 
his  brother,  Monsieur,  had  been  quarreling  over 
a  book  of  pictures,  and  addressed  the  Cardinal: 
"You  can't  hold  a  Bed  of  Justice  without  me, 
and  I  won't  go!" 

Although    only   a    child,    the    fact   that  he   was 
206 


BLACK  MAGIC  207 

king  had  become  firmly  planted  in  his  mind,  and 
every  one,  not  excepting  the  Queen  and  the  Car- 
dinal, knew  that  the  time  had  arrived  when  "thou 
shalt"  and  "thou  shalt  not"  were  not  only  use- 
less but  dangerous  in  the  face  of  the  Little 
King's  "I  will"  and  "I  will  not."  So  when  he  grew 
stubborn  and  said  "I  won't,"  gentle  and  persuasive 
methods  had  for  some  time  taken  the  place  of 
peremptory  commands.  Sweet  Mam'selle  owed  her 
enviable,  though  humble  position  at  court  entirely 
to  the  fact  that  she  more  than  any  other  could 
influence  the  King,  and  as  her  influence  was,  or 
at  least  seemed  to  be  exerted  only  at  the  behest 
of  the  Queen,  she  became  a  useful  instrument  to 
the  Cardinal,  for  the  Queen  acted  only  at  the 
behest  of  his  Eminence. 

The  Little  King's  protest  against  holding  the 
Bed  of  Justice  was  humored  by  the  Cardinal, 
who  answered  in  his  oiliest  words: 

"We  are  only  presuming  to  advise  Your  Majesty. 
You  yourself  shall  determine  the  question  of  the 
Bed  of  Justice,  for  as  you  say,  there  can  be 
none  without  the  King." 

The  King  stooped,  took  the  picture  book  from 


208 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


his  brother  after  a  struggle — in  plain  words,  a 
fight — went  to  a  table,  looked  at  the  pictures  for 
a  moment,  turned  quickly  toward  his  Eminence 
and  delivered  his  ultimatum: 

"I'll  answer  you  the 
day  after  to-morrow 
evening.  There  may 
,be  a  matter  in  which 
I  shall  give  you  certain 
orders,  M.  le  Cardinal. 
If  I  receive  instant  obe- 
dience the  Bed  of  Jus- 
tice may  be  held." 

"But  we  may  want 
to  hold  the  Bed  of  Jus- 
tice the  day  after  to- 
morrow at  noon,  if  the  Estates  are  ready,"  sug- 
gested the  Cardinal. 

'We  hold  a  Bed  of  Justice,  M.  le  Cardinal!" 
responded  the  Little  King,  with  no  effort  to  con- 
ceal his  contempt.  "Pray  what  have  you  to  do 
with  it?  Only  the  King  holds  a  Bed  of  Jus- 


tice. 


'True,    true,"    answered   the    Cardinal,    meekly. 


BLACK  MAGIC  209 

"I  crave  your  Majesty's  pardon.  When  I  used 
the  word  'we'  I  referred  to  your  Majesty." 

"But  we  won't  hold  a  Bed  of  Justice  the  day 
after  to-morrow.  When  I  see  how  you  obey  my 
command,  I'll  tell  you  when  we  shall  hold  a  Bed 
of  Justice." 

"But  your  Majesty  must  consult  the  convenience 
of  the  Estates,"  suggested  the  Cardinal. 

"My  convenience  shall  be  the  convenience  of 
the  Estates.  Where  is  Sweet  Mam'selle?  I  want 
to  go  to  bed." 

Sweet  Mam'selle  was  summoned  and  the  King 
went  with  her  to  his  bedroom.  Neither  the  Car- 
dinal nor  the  Queen  had  dared  to  speak  further 
to  him  on  the  subject  of  the  Bed  of  Justice. 
They  had  already  begun  to  fear  him,  though  he 
was  only  a  child  of  ten.  What  wonder  is  it 
that  he  was  a  despot  at  twenty? 

From  his  childhood  this  King  possessed  one 
of  the  rarest  of  all  qualities:  he  knew  when  to 
remain  silent.  His  reason  for  hurrying  off  to 
bed  was  his  desire  to  avoid  further  conversation 
and  to  consult  his  real  prime  minister,  Sweet 
Mam'selle.  How  different  would  have  been  the 
14 


210  THE  LITTLE  KING 

story  of  France  had  he  been  able  to  keep  her 
as  his  prime  minister  during  the  entire  seventy- 
two  years  of  his  long  and  awful  reign.  But  he 
lost  her  soon  after  the  affair  of  La  Sainte  Croix, 
and  with  her  went  the  last  good  influence  that 
touched  his  life. 

The  consultation  with  Sweet  Mam'selle  was 
short,  for  the  King  was  sleepy.  Her  advice  was 
brief. 

"My  King,  I  hope  you  will  speak  to  no  one 
about  the  Jew's  affairs  till  you  have  asked  his 
advice.  You  owe  him  a  debt  of  gratitude,  and 
when  you  learn  what  he  wants  at  your  hands, 
if  you  wish  to  grant  his  request,  I  feel  sure  that 
he  in  his  wisdom  will  tell  you  in  what  manner 
you  may  best  serve  him  and  pay  your  debt." 

"Do  you  know  what  he  wants?"  asked  the 
King. 

"Yes,  but  I  may  not  tell  you.  It  is  not  my 
secret,"  returned  Sweet  Mam'selle. 

The  King,  who  was  sitting  on  the  bed,  dressed 
for  the  night,  while  Sweet  Mam'selle  knelt  by 
his  side,  put  his  arm  about  her  neck,  placed  his 
cheek  against  hers  and  whispered  coaxingly: 


BLACK  MAGIC  211 

"Now  you'll  tell  me,  won't  you,  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle?" 

"No,   no,  my  King,   I  may  not." 

The  King  knew  that  Sweet  Mam'selle's  "I 
will  not"  resembled  his  own,  so  he  breathed  a 
sigh  and  answered: 

"I  like  you  for  not  telling  what  you  have  no 
right  to  tell.  You  are  true  to  others  and  you 
will  always  be  true  to  me." 

"Yes,  my  King." 

Then  his  Majesty  knelt  beside  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle while  they  said  their  rosaries  and  breathed 
a  little  prayer  for  the  people  of  France,  which 
Sweet  Mam'selle  had  taught  him  out  of  the 
strength  and  purity  of  her  own  heart;  a  mere 
cry  to  God  not  to  be  found  in  any  prayer-book 
ever  printed. 

On  the  day  set  by  the  Little  King,  he,  Jean 
Breton  and  Sweet  Mam'selle  paid  another  visit 
to  La  Sainte  Croix.  When  Benoni  appeared,  the 
Little  King  cried  out  eagerly: 

"Now,  quickly,  quickly,  Jew  I  Tell  me  your 
wants  1" 


212  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Benoni,   who   had   risen,   knelt   again   and   said: 

"I  beg  to  tell  your  Majesty  that  my  daughter 
and  Monsieur  Baptiste  long  in  their  hearts  to 
become  one  in  marriage.  Monsieur  Baptiste, 
being  a  Christian,  and  my  daughter  a  Jewess,  it 
were  not  safe  nor  proper  for  them  to  marry 
without  let  and  sanction  from  some  one  in 
authority  in  church  and  state.  My  daughter, 
desiring  to  smooth  the  way  to  her  marriage, 
wishes  a  dispensation  permitting  her  to  be  taken 
into  Holy  Church  without  probation,  and  to  these 
two  ends  I  pray  your  royal  help.  I  pray  for 
your  sanction  and  for  a  dispensation  from  the 
Cardinal  or  the  Bishop  of  Paris." 

"Is  that  all?"  asked  the  Little  King,  evidently 
disappointed.  He  had  hoped  for  an  opportunity 
to  do  some  glittering  act  of  kingly  grace  or  favor. 

"Your  Majesty  has  heard  my  prayer,"  answered 
Benoni,  still  kneeling.  "It  must  seem  small  to 
the  King  of  France,  but  to  the  Jew  and  to  those 
who  dwell  in  his  heart,  your  Majesty's  compli- 
ance will  bring  happiness  untold." 

"Rise,  Jew!  Your  prayer  is  granted,"  said  the 
Little  King,  holding  up  his  hand  as  if  he  were 


BLACK  MAGIC  213 

bestowing  a  benediction  or  pardoning  a  criminal. 
He  enjoyed  playing  king  in  so  real  a  manner 
and  loved  to  hear  his  own  voice  speaking  in 
authority. 

"My  life's  devotion  shall  be  my  King's  poor 
recompense,"  Benoni  answered. 

When  the  Jew  rose,  Sweet  Mam'selle  went  to 
the  King  and  asked:  "Shall  I  tell  Monsieur 
Benoni  that  your  Majesty  would  have  his  advice 
concerning  the  best  manner  of  bringing  about 
what  he  desires?" 

"Yes,  Jew,"  said  the  Little  King,  falling  back 
among  the  cushions.  "As  it  is  a  matter  con- 
cerning only  you  and  yours,  you  may,  if  you 
wish,  advise  me.  I  shall  give  you  the  sanction 
and  the  dispensation  on  my  tenth  birthday,  which 
will  be  five  days  from  now.  This  is  a  Tuesday. 
My  birthday  will  be  Sunday  next.  How,  say 
you,  shall  I  go  about  getting  it?" 

The  little  party  in  the  softly  lighted  room  at 
once  formed  a  council  by  which  it  was  decided 
that  the  best  way  to  proceed  would  be  for  the 
King  to  lay  the  matter  before  the  Queen  and  the 
Cardinal  as  soon  as  possible.  Having  obtained 


2i4  THE  LITTLE  KING 

their  consent,  let  the  royal  sanction  be  signed_  by 
the  King  and  the  Queen  as  regent;  then  let  the 
King  summon  the  Bishop  of  Paris,  or  the  Coad- 
jutor, M.  de  Condi,  from  whom  the  dispensation 
permitting  Miriam  to  enter  the  church  should  be 
obtained. 

The  King  thought  well  of  the  plan,  and  the 
Jew  said  he  would  pay  to  Holy  Church  all 
required  dues. 

The  council  being  at  an  end,  the  rose  wine 
was  passed,  and  Benoni  asked  the  King  if  he 
would  like  to  see  a  few  simple  manifestations  of 
the  marvelous  art  of  Black  Magic. 

All  learned  men  of  the  time  studied  the  art 
seriously,  and  sought  to  discover  new  methods  in 
occultism  with  which  to  astonish  a  credulous 
world.  If  by  chance  a  scholar  discovered  a  spec- 
tacular scientific  fact,  he  kept  his  secret  well 
hidden  and  exploited  it  as  of  the  realm  of  magic, 
for  he  knew  that  he  would  be  considered  much 
greater  as  a  magician  than  as  a  scientist.  In 
truth,  if  a  marvelous  exhibition  could  be  traced 
to  mechanical  devices  or  natural  causes,  the  magi- 
cian was  sure  to  be  pronounced  a  charlatan  and 


BLACK  MAGIC  215 

his    performance     condemned     as    a     mere     trick. 

When  Benoni  offered  to  show  his  skill,  the 
Little  King  crossed  himself  and  said  that  he 
would  be  very  glad  indeed  to  see  the  Jew  give 
a  small — a  very  small — exhibition  of  his  art,  but 
when  the  door  was  closed  and  the  curtains  drawn 
to  darken  the  room,  he  said : 

"I  think  I'll  not  trouble  you  now,  but  will 
return  some  other  time  with  a  priest  and  an 
amulet,  when  I  shall  be  pleased  to  see — see — 
you — you  do — do  wh — what  you  can  to — to 
interest  me." 

"I  beg  your  Majesty  not  to  bring  a  priest  to 
my  poor  house  unless  it  be  M.  le  Coadjutor  or 
his  Eminence,  the  Cardinal,"  said  Benoni,  im- 
ploringly. 

"They  are  not  priests,"  answered  the  King. 
"Neither  is  in  orders." 

"I  again  pray  your  Majesty  not  to  bring  a 
priest  to  my  house.  All  priests  hate  a  Jew  and 
would  gladly  work  my  ruin,"  said  Benoni,  falling 
to  his  knees. 

But  Sweet  Mam'selle  interposed,  saying:  "We'll 
talk  it  over  later,  my  King."  Then  her  plan  of 


216  THE  LITTLE  KING 

an  entertainment  for  the  King's  birthday  came 
out.  "Perhaps  Monsieur  Benoni  will  give  an 
exhibition  on  your  birthday  at  which  her  Majesty, 
the  Cardinal,  the  Marquis  de  Villeroi  and  one  of 
the  ladies  in  waiting  may  be  induced  to  accom- 
pany your  Majesty.  The  room  is  too  small  to 
hold  a  greater  number." 

The  idea  delighted  the  King  and  he  told  Benoni 
that  a  royal  visit  would  be  made  in  accordance 
with  it. 

Poor  old  Benoni  felt  that  his  fortunes  were 
mounting  beautifully,  and  asked  the  King  to  say 
to  her  Majesty  and  to  his  Eminence  that  he 
would  be  a  happy  man  indeed  if  for  one  hour, 
his  humble  roof  could  shelter  those  great  per- 
sonages. 

When  the  King  and  Sweet  Mam'selle  returned 
to  the  Palais  Royal,  his  Majesty,  full  to  over- 
flowing with  his  new  plans,  hurried  to  the  Queen's 
parlor  and  summoned  the  Cardinal. 

After  the  King  had  told  the  Queen  and  the 
Cardinal  of  the  Jew's  request,  his  Majesty  said: 

"Now,    if  your   Eminence   and  the  Queen  will 


BLACK  MAGIC  217 

help  me  obtain  the  sanction  and  the  dispensation 
for  this  old  Jew,  I'll  attend  the  Bed  of  Justice 
whenever  you  arrange  for  it." 

The  King's  words  relieved  the  Cardinal  of  a 
great  burden.  He  could  have  shouted  for  joy, 
but  he  smothered  the  inclination  and  said: 

"The  sanction  for  the  marriage  is  a  simple 
matter,  easily  arranged.  I  am  sure  her  Majestv 
will  be  glad  to  sign  and  seal  it  for  your  sake." 

"And  I,  too,  and  you,  too,  M.  le  Cardinal," 
interrupted  the  King. 

"Yes,  your  Majesty,  I,  too,  and  of  course, 
your  Majesty  may  do  as  he  wishes.  The  dis- 
pensation will  be  quite  as  easily  obtained.  The 
desire  to  enter  Holy  Church  is  a  rare  and  pious 
aspiration  in  the  Jewish  girl.  It  shall  all  be 
done  as  your  Majesty  directs.  I  shall  send  my 
secretary  to  you  at  such  time  as  you  suggest  to 
take  the  names  of  all  persons  concerned,  that 
he  may  write  out  the  necessary  papers." 

The  King  then  told  the  Queen  and  the  Car- 
dinal of  his  project  for  a  birthday  entertainment. 
The  Queen  was  delighted,  though  she  feared  to 
go  on  the  streets,  owing  to  the  hatred  of  the 


218  THE  LITTLE  KING 

people.  His  Eminence  suggested  that  a  very 
small  party  composed  of  the  persons  the  King 
had  named  might  disguise  themselves  and  go  to 
the  Jew's  house  after  nightfall,  followed  at  a 
distance  by  a  company  of  the  Swiss  Guard. 

So,  by  the  time  of  the  King's  tenth  birthday, 
the  sanction  and  the  dispensation  were  signed, 
ready  for  delivery,  and  all  arrangements  had 
been  made  for  the  birthday  entertainment  at  the 
Jew's  house,  where  the  devil  was  expected  to 
raise  and  lower  the  curtain. 

Immediately  after  nightfall  on  the  eventful 
day,  the  royal  party  started  for  La  Sainte  Croix, 
and  soon  the  King  and  the  Queen  were  seated 
in  the  beautiful  room  beneath  the  soft  light  of 
the  many  colored  crystal  lamps.  The  Marquis 
de  Villeroi,  the  Cardinal,  the  Due  d'Orleans, 
Madame  de  Motteville  and  Sweet  Mam'selle 
stood  near  their  Majesties,  every  one  gazing  in 
awe-tinged  wonder  at  the  unusual  scene,  and 
expecting,  they  knew  not  what,  in  the  way  of 
Satanic  exhibitions  when  the  show  should  begin. 
The  perfumed  air  they  breathed  was  charged  with 


BLACK  MAGIC  219 

mystery,  while  the  tinkling  of  the  crystal  lamp 
pendants,  stirred  by  a  breath  that  apparently 
came  from  nowhere,  seemed  now  like  plaintive 
cries  from  gnome-land,  deep  in  the  heart  of 
Mother  Earth,  and  again  like  the  far  away 
strains  of  an  elfin  chorus. 

From  the  King  and  the  Queen  to  Sweet  Mam- 
'selle,  they  all  clung  to  their  amulets  and  in- 
stinctively ran  their  fingers  over  the  beads  of 
their  rosaries. 

A  hush  of  expectancy  fell  on  the  visitors,  and 
when  in  response  to  a  summons,  Benoni  entered 
the  room  and  dropped  to  his  knee  before  their 
Majesties,  every  one  felt  that  a  cousin  of  the 
devil  was  in  their  midst.  The  devil,  however, 
is  more  feared  than  hated,  and  as  long  as  that 
condition  obtains  in  the  human  heart,  a  sort  of 
love  for  him  is  sure  to  arise  as  fear  subsides. 

Benoni's  kindly  face  and  humble,  though  digni- 
fied bearing  soon  won  the  hearts  of  all  save  the 
Cardinal.  His  heart  was  sensitive  to  only  two 
passions,  cupidity  and  fear.  On  this  occasion  each 
of  these  emotions  was  aroused  within  his  breast. 
He  feared  the  devil  when  he  could  not  use  him, 


220  THE  LITTLE  KING 

and  saw  at  a  glance  that  all  the  beauties  sur- 
rounding the  Jew  could  belong  to  none  but  a 
rich  man.  To  the  Cardinal  a  rich  Jew  lived 
only  to  be  plucked. 

At  Benoni's  request  the  guests  took  their  places 
close  together,  near  the  north  wall  of  the  room. 
Against  the  south  wall,  perhaps  twenty-five  feet 
distant  from  the  guests,  stood  a  plain  divan  six 
or  seven  feet  long,  covered  with  a  blood-colored 
silk  rug.  Back  of  the  divan  and  suspended  from 
the  ceiling  was  a  white  velvet  curtain  which  hung, 
smooth  and  without  a  wrinkle  against  the  wall. 
In  the  center  of  the  room  stood  a  curiously 
shaped  hassock  or  stool,  almost  as  high  as  a 
small  barrel.  It,  also,  was  draped  in  blood-col- 
ored silk,  on  which  were  printed  in  gold  the 
cabalistic  signs  of  the  zodiac,  supposedly  useful 
in  practising  the  art  of  Black  Magic.  Near  the 
stool  was  a  slender  green  bronze  stand  perhaps 
five  feet  high,  on  which  rested  a  small  golden 
plate  also  bearing  the  signs  of  the  zodiac.  The 
room  was  dimly  lighted  by  four  lamps  which 
hung  in  a  cluster  just  over  the  stool  and  the 
stand.  But  amid  all  that  was  strange  and  uncanny, 


BLACK  MAGIC  221 

Benoni  was  the  strangest.  He  wore  an  ample 
gown  of  dead  black  material,  from  the  shoulders 
of  which  fell  long,  flowing  sleeves,  while  on  his 
breast  was  embroidered  in  white  a  ghastly  skull 
and  crossbones. 

When  all  were  ready  the  Jew  took  from  a  side 
table  a  golden  ewer  out  of  which  he  poured  a  pint 
or  more  of  water  into  a  long-stemmed  crystal  goblet. 
This  he  passed  to  the  guests,  asking  them  to  assure 
themselves  that  it  was  water.  All  were  afraid 
to  taste  it  until  it  reached  Sweet  Mam'selle  and 
Madame  de  Motteville,  each  of  whom  took  a  drink. 
Then  the  Queen  and  the  King  tasted  the  contents  of 
the  goblet — though  the  Cardinal  had  protested 
against  her  Majesty  touching  it — and  pronounced  it 
water.  His  Eminence  would  not  take  the  goblet  in 
his  hands,  and  the  Due  d'Orleans  said  that  her 
Majesty's  word  was  sufficient  to  convince  him 
that  the  contents  was  water. 

When  the  goblet  was  returned  to  Benoni,  he 
placed  it  on  the  golden  plate,  which  was  on  the 
stand,  saying: 

"With  the  permission  of  your  Majesties,  I 
shall  now  extinguish  the  light." 


222  THE  LITTLE  KING 

He  waved  his  hands;  the  black  flowing  sleeves 
stood  out  for  a  moment  like  the  wings  of  a 
huge  bat,  giving  to  their  wearer  a  truly  demoniac 
appearance.  Instantly  the  room  was  in  darkness 
save  for  the  unearthly  gleam  of  the  skull  and 
crossbones  on  Benoni's  breast.  Within  three  or 
four  seconds  the  water  in  the  glass  began  to 
burn  with  a  bluish  flame  at  first,  turning  pres- 
ently to  an  intense  and  lurid  white.  A  short 
distance  above  the  goblet  the  ghastly  white  light 
of  the  fumes  took  on  a  beautiful  rose  tint,  which 
still  higher  up  deepened  to  the  color  of  blood. 
Near  the  ceiling  the  dark  red  merged  gradually 
into  the  gloom,  and  hung  like  a  floating  pall  of 
black  over  Benoni's  head. 

The  Jew  went  to  the  divan  which  stood  near 
the  south  wall,  lifted  the  silk  cover  and  showed 
his  audience  that  it  was  simply  a  wooden 
bench,  incapable  of  being  used  as  a  hiding  place 
for  any  person  or  any  thing.  Then  he  folded 
the  silk  and  placed  it  on  top  of  the  bench,  leav- 
ing visible  all  the  space  beneath.  After  adjusting 
the  folded  cover,  Benoni  stood  erect  in  the  glare 
of  the  vari-colored  light  and  at  once  seemed  to 


BLACK  MAGIC  223 

grow  in  height  till  he  appeared  to  be  eight  or 
nine  feet  tall.  Standing  thus  for  a  moment,  he 
held  out  his  arms,  gently  waving  the  bat-like 
wings.  Immediately  the  light  from  the  burning 
water  began  to  grow  dim,  distorting  all  that  it 
fell  upon  by  its  lurid  gleam,  and  creating  a 
demoniac  illusion  truly  terrifying.  The  Queen 
screamed,  Benoni  waved  his  hands,  the  water 
ceased  to  burn,  the  crystal  lamps  again  cast  their 
soft  light  throughout  the  room,  and  the  Jew 
stood  before  his  guests,  a  man,  divested  of  all 
Satanic  semblance. 

"The  strangest  manifestations  are  yet  to  come, 
your  Majesty,"  said  Benoni,  addressing  the 
Queen,  "but  I  beg  you  to  have  no  fear.  Shall 
I  proceed?" 

"Yes,  yes,  in  God's  name,  proceed!  And  may 
the  Virgin  protect  us!"  answered  the  Queen. 

The  Jew  knelt,  bending  over  the  stool  and 
covering  it  with  his  gown.  He  was  between  the 
stool  and  his  spectators,  his  back  to  them,  his 
face  to  the  divan,  he  and  the  stool  being  between 
the  divan  and  the  awe-stricken  audience.  He 
waved  his  bat-like  wings  and  again  the  room  was 


224 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


in  darkness.  Instantly  a  piercing  shaft  of  light 
fell  on  the  wall  back  of  the  divan — a  ray  that 
seemed  to  come  from  no  place — illumining  the 
white  drapery  with  a  brilliant  circle  perhaps  five 
feet  in  diameter.  In  a  moment  there  sprang  into 
the  lighted  circle  a  skeleton  of  bleached  and 
whited  bones,  which  danced  and  capered  in  a 

manner  as  startling  as  it 
was  ghastly.  It  seemed 
to  have  sprung  from  the 
floor,  but  the  floor  could 
be  seen  by  every  one  in 
the  room,  and  it  had  not 
opened.  After  dancing  for 
a  minute  or  two,  the  skel- 
eton disappeared,  and  in 
its  place  stood  the  devil  in 
flaming  red,  with  tail,  horns 
and  trident  in  true  Satanic 
style.  The  Queen,  very  much  frightened,  held 
up  her  crucifix,  and  instantly  the  devil  disap- 
peared, a  "casting  out"  of  which  her  Majesty 
was  very  proud  to  the  end  of  her  days.  Cats, 
dogs  and  apes  appeared  in  turn,  and  then  the 


BLACK  MAGIC  225 

spirit  of  the  Little  King — the  astral  body,  as 
Benoni  explained — stood  in  the  brilliant  circle, 
clad  in  his  robes  of  state.  The  face  was  so  dim 
that  it  could  not  be  recognized,  but  the  form  and 
costume  were  unmistakably  those  of  the  Little 
King. 

When  the  King's  astral  body  faded  from  view, 
the  fierce  light  went  out  for  the  space  of  per- 
haps two  minutes,  leaving  the  room  in  total  dark- 
ness. When  the  light  returned  it  shone  upon  the 
divan,  where  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  the  red 
silk  cover,  which  Benoni  had  folded  and  placed 
on  the  wooden  bench. 

"I  beg  your  Majesties  to  watch  the  divan  by 
the  wall,"  said  Benoni,  still  bending  over  the 
stool.  All  eyes  were  turned  in  the  direction 
indicated  and  the  Queen  muttered  a  short,  pre- 
cautionary prayer. 

Presently  the  figure  of  a  young  girl,  draped 
in  soft,  clinging  white  silk,  began  to  appear, 
stretched  full  length  on  the  divan.  At  first  her 
face  and  form  were  shadowy,  but  within  three 
or  four  minutes  she  took  definite  shape,  and 
appeared  to  be  of  real  flesh  and  blood.  The  eyes 

15 


226 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


were  closed  as  if  in 
sleep,  and  the  red, 
dewy  lips  were 
parted,  showing  two 
rows  of  pearly  teeth 
within  the  exquisite 
portals.  The  flush 
of  slumber  was  on 
her  cheeks,  her  eye- 
lids,  fringed  with 
long,  black  lashes, 
trembled  in  the 
light,  her  hair  which 
hung  loose,  tumbled 
to  the  floor  in  a 
cascade  of  copperish  gold,  and  sparkled  in  the 
radiance.  A  bare  arm  had  fallen  over  the  side  of 
the  couch  and  shone  like  polished  alabaster,  while 
the  exquisite  hand  rested  on  the  floor,  limp  and 
white  as  snow.  Her  bosom  heaved  beneath  its  light 
draperies,  and  she  lay  upon  her  red  couch,  to  all 
appearances,  a  living  palpitating  Hebe,  summoned 
from  Elysium  by  the  magic  of  this  wonderful  man, 
Benoni,  the  Jew. 


BLACK  MAGIC  227 

After  the  entranced  audience  had  gazed  on 
the  wonderful  picture  for  a  little  time,  Benoni 
said: 

"The  beauty  of  woman  is  but  transitory,  and 
at  the  last  is  consumed  in  the  fires  of  time." 

Immediately  thin  spirals  of  smoke  began  to 
rise  from  the  reclining  girl,  slowly,  quiveringly 
at  first,  as  if  she  were  being  consumed  by  a 
kindling  fire.  The  fumes  soon  began  to  grow 
dense,  the  body  grew  dim  and  seemed  to  be  fad- 
ing away,  while  a  pungent,  though  delicious  odor, 
almost  intoxicating  in  its  strange  perfume,  filled 
the  air.  Presently,  when  the  body  had  been  con- 
sumed, the  astral  face  of  the  girl  appeared,  open 
eyed,  in  the  dark  fumes  above  the  couch;  then, 
her  astral  body  hung  for  a  moment  in  mid  air, 
and  took  its  flight  through  the  ceiling  back  to 
its  Elysian  home. 

The  Queen  screamed  and  became  hysterical 
and  the  Cardinal  uttered  a  cry  of  terror  just  as 
the  beautiful  vision  disappeared;  instantly  the  Jew 
waved  his  hands,  the  fierce  light  was  extinguished, 
and  the  crystal  lamps  once  more  illumined  the 
room. 


228 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


As  soon  as  the  Queen 
ihad  recovered  her  com- 
.posure,  the  Cardinal  sug- 
gested that  they  start 
•at  once  for  the  Palais 
Royal,  so  the  ladies  put 
on  their  masks  and  prep- 
arations were  hastily 
made  for  leaving  La 
Sainte  Croix. 

As  the  royal  party 
was  passing  out  the  door, 
Sweet  Mam'selle  whispered  to  the  King,  remind- 
ing him  that  the  papers  granting  the  sanction  and 
the  dispensation  so  much  coveted  by  the  Jew,  had 
not  been  delivered.  Thereupon  his  Majesty  spoke 
to  the  Marquis  de  Villeroi,  and  the  documents 
were  handed  to  Benoni. 


CHAPTER  IX 
BLACKEST   MAGIC 

AFTER  his  guests  were  gone,  the  Jew  hastened 
to  Miriam  and  Baptiste  with  the  precious 
papers    and    placed    them    in   their   hands, 
saying: 

"You  must  to  church  to-morrow  morning  early. 
When  you  give  the  priests  the  well-filled  purse 
I  shall  send,  I  make  sure  they  will  lose  no 
time  in  taking  Miriam  into  their  fold  and  in 
making  my  beloved  children  husband  and  wife. 
After  that,  God  may  take  me  to  his  rest  in  his 
own  good  time,  for  I  shall  die  happy." 
This  was  on  a  Sunday  evening. 
The  great  things  of  life  usually  come  to  us 
unheralded.  All  the  Jew's  wisdom  and  magic 
could  give  him  no  warning,  even  to  die  extent 
of  a  faint,  glimmering  premonition  what  a  single 
day  was  to  bring  forth. 

After  the  royal  party  reached  the  palace,   they 
229 


230  THE  LITTLE  KING 

remained  in  the  Queen's  parlor,  talking  over  the 
marvelous  sights  they  had  witnessed  in  Benoni's 
house. 

"He's  the  most  wonderful  magician  of  the  age," 
said  the  Cardinal.  "He  seems  to  be  rich.  Does 
he  keep  a  shop?" 

No  one  could  answer  the  question,  but  the 
King  said  that  Sweet  Mam'selle  knew  all  about 
the  Jew,  so  she  was  summoned. 

"He  was  brought  here  by  the  late  King,  whom 
he  had  cured  of  an  illness  in  Toulouse,"  said^ 
Sweet  Mam'selle,  in  response  to  the  Cardinal's 
questions.  "He  is  a  physician,  but  I  believe  he 
practises  his  art  chiefly  among  the  poor  people, 
from  whom  he  takes  no  fee.  He  has  no  shop." 

"I  thought  as  much,"  said  the  Cardinal,  medi- 
tatively. "He  is  an  alchemist.  If  he  is  as  great 
in  alchemy  as  he  is  in  Black  Magic,  he  can 
transmute  base  metals  into  gold.  That  is  how 
he  gets  his  wealth.  We  must  learn  his  secret. 
He  is  a  great  man." 

"He  is  a  great  physician,  too,"  said  the  Little  King. 
"He  saved  my  life  when  I  was  ill  with  the  smallpox." 

A  shower    of    questions    fell    upon    the    King, 


BLACKEST  MAGIC  231 

who,  forgetting  for  the  moment  his  promise  of 
secrecy,  told  the  story  of  the  old  woman  who 
had  instructed  Seguine  and  had  received  no  pay. 
At  once  there  was  a  great  commotion,  and 
Seguine  came  in  for  his  full  share  of  abuse,  not 
because  he  had  not  paid  the  Jew,  but  because  he 
had  invoked  the  services  of  the  devil  to  cure 
the  King. 

"But  I  was  ill  and  should  have  died  without 
the  Jew's  help,"  suggested  the  King. 

"God  would  have  saved  you,  my  King,"  said 
the  Cardinal,  piously. 

"Then  why  didn't  He  do  it,  and  not  leave  so 
good  an  act  to  the  devil?"  asked  the  Little  King. 

"God's  ways  are  mysterious  to  man,"  answered 
the  Cardinal. 

"It  is  not  true,"  insisted  the  King,  growing 
angry.  "God  used  the  wise  Jew  to  cure  me, 
because  Seguine,  in  his  ignorance,  would  have 
allowed  me  to  die.  The  devil  had  nothing  to  do 
with  my  cure.  The  Jew  is  a  good,  wise,  learned 
man,  and  he  should  have  received  the  fee  that 
went  to  Seguine." 

Early    next    morning    the    Cardinal    summoned 


"232  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Seguine  and  told  him  all  the  Little  King  had 
said  about  the  Jew,  whereupon  the  court  physi- 
cian grew  very  angry  and  swore  vengeance 
against  Benoni. 

"I  believe  he  is  rich,"  said  the  Cardinal,  rest- 
ing his  elbows  on  his  knees  and  speaking  softly  as 
if  talking  to  himself.  "I  have  caused  to  be  granted 
a  dispensation  permitting  his  daughter  to  be  taken 
into  the  church,  and  a  sanction  for  her  marriage 
to  one  Baptiste  Guiron,  a  Christian  who  keeps 
a  shop  just  off  the  Rue  de  Bethisy,  through 
which  the  Jew's  house,  the  old  cloister  of  La 
Sainte  Croix,  is  entered.  It  is  a  strange  place, 
this  Jew's  nest.  Beyond  doubt  he  is  rich,  but 
owing  to  the  Little  King's  partiality,  he  has  not 
paid  a  sou  for  the  privileges  we  have  granted, 
and  will  not  unless  he  pays  it  in  the  way  of 
regular  church  fees.  If  it  had  not  been  for  our 
stubborn  Little  King,  I  should  have  made  the 
old  pagan  sweat  gold." 

"Perhaps  it  is  not  yet  too  late,"  suggested  Seguine. 

"Perhaps  not,"  answered  the  Cardinal,  softly. 
"But  I  dare  not  lay  my  hand  on  him.  The 
King's  coronation  is  only  four  years  off,  and  he 


BLACKEST  MAGIC  233 

is  of  a  disposition  to  remember  affronts."  The 
Cardinal  remained  in  thought  for  a  moment,  then 
spoke  carelessly,  as  if  the  matter  were  no  affair 
of  his.  "You  might  see  d'Emeri  if  you  wish. 
The  people,  especially  the  Jews  of  Rue  Sainte 
Croix,  may  rise  and  threaten  the  Jew  with  destruc- 
tion if  by  any  chance  some  one  would  whisper  to 
them  that  his  daughter  is  about  to  marry  a 
Christian.  In  the  event  of  trouble  we  must  protect 
the  Jew,  for  the  King  loves  him.  If  his  danger 
were  pointed  out  to  him,  he  might  be  willing  to 
give  a  good  round  sum  for  a  cordon  of  gen- 
darmes to  scatter  the  mob  and  to  protect  his 
house.  If  the  Jew  proves  stingy,  you  may  be 
able  to  find  some  one  to  incite  the  mob.  But  I  leave 
it  all  to  you,  for  I  must  not  be  known  in  the  affair.'* 

"Your  Eminence  need  not  fear.  Your  hand 
shall  not  be  seen,"  answered  Seguine,  glad  of  an 
opportunity  to  punish  the  Jew.  "There  will  be 
a  mob  and  we  shall  find  the  gold.  I  owe  the 
accursed  Jew  a  grudge,  and  shall  pay  it — and 
be  paid." 

Seguine  was  about  to  leave,  but  the  Cardinal 
detained  him:  "Eh,  Seguine,  wait  a  moment  I 


234 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


When   you    get   the    gold,   bring    it    to   me.     You 
and    d'Emeri    shall   take   half.     I    shall   take   half 


for  furnishing  the  information,  and — and  you'll 
not  make  the  price  of  protection  too  small?  As 
I  have  told  you,  the  Jew  is  rich,  and — and,  un- 
derstand me,  Seguine,  bring  all  the  gold  to  me. 
I  shall  divide  it." 

Seguine  hastened  to  the  Bastile,  sought  d'Emeri, 
and  told  him  of  the  golden  opportunity  suggested 
by  the  Cardinal. 

"Has  the  marriage  been  solemnized?"  asked 
d'Emeri. 


BLACKEST  MAGIC  235 

"I  feel  sure  it  has  not,"  answered  Seguine. 
"The  dispensation  and  the  sanction  were  given 
only  last  night." 

But  Seguine  was  wrong.  Miriam  and  Baptiste 
were  husband  and  wife,  and  at  the  time  of 
Seguine's  conversation  with  d'Emeri,  were  on  their 
way  home  to  eat  their  marriage  breakfast  in  the 
peaceful  shelter  of  La  Sainte  Croix. 

While  Benoni  and  his  family  were  eating  break- 
fast, happy  because  of  their  good  fortune,  a 
knock  was  heard  on  the  hidden  gate  of  La  Sainte 
Croix.  For  more  than  fifteen  years,  no  one  had 
knocked  at  the  gate,  since  no  one  save  Baptiste 
had  known  of  its  existence.  Benoni  was  alarmed, 
so  when  the  knocking  grew  violent,  Baptiste  went 
to  open  the  gate  and  found  d'Emeri,  accompanied 
by  two  gendarmes. 

"Does  a  Jew  calling  himself  Benoni  live 
here?"  asked  d'Emeri. 

"Yes,"    answered   Baptiste. 

"I  want  to  see  him.  Tell  him  to  come  to 
me  at  once,"  commanded  d'Emeri. 

Benoni  came  to  the  garden  and  greeted  d'Emeri 
with  humility. 


236  THE  LITTLE  KING 

"What  does  my  lord  seek  In  my  humble  house?" 

"I  am  told  that  your  daughter  is  to  be  mar- 
ried to  a  Christian,"  answered  d'Emri. 

"She  Is  already  married  to  Baptiste  Guiron. 
She,  too,  is  a  Christian,  having  been  taken  into 
Holy  Church  this  morning,"  said  Benoni. 

"Don't  you  know,  Jew,  that  you  must  pay 
for  such  privileges?"  demanded  d'Emri. 

"We  have  sanction  under  the  hands  and  seals 
of  the  King,  the  Queen  Regent  and  his  Emi- 
nence, the  Cardinal.  We  have  also  a  dispensation 
from  the  Bishop  of  Paris,  granted  at  the  request 
of  his  Majesty,"  answered  Benoni,  proudly. 

"But  there  are  others  to  be  considered,"  replied 
d'Emeri,  angrily.  "When  the  people  learn  that 
your  daughter  has  married  a  Christian  they  will 
burn  your  house  and  throw  you  into  the  flames. 
You  may  need  protection,  Jew,  before  the  day 
is  ended,  and  if  you  receive  it  you  must  pay  for 
It." 

"I  am  not  a  rich  man,  but  I  will  give.  How 
much  does  my  Lord  want?"  said  Benoni,  feeling 
that  it  were  safer  to  propitiate  the  Governor  of 
the  Bastile. 


BLACKEST  MAGIC 


237 


"Bring  ten  thousand  pistoles  to  the  Bastile  by 
sundown,  and  I'll  protect 
you  over  night,"  replied 
d'Emeri. 

"All  that  I  possess 
would  not  equal  that 
sum,"  protested  Benoni, 
•realizing  that  the  day 
of  his  ruin  had  come 
as  a  flash  of  lightning 
leaps  from  the  sky. 

"Find  it,  Jew,  or  the 
people  will  bring  your 
house  about  your  ears," 
retorted  d'Emeri. 

"They  will  not,  my  lord,  unless  some  one 
incites  them  thereto,"  murmured  Benoni. 

"Find  the  gold,  Jew,  or  take  the  consequen- 
ces," answered  d'Emeri,  threateningly.  Then  he 
turned  and  passed  to  the  street  through  Baptiste's 
shop. 

Benoni  returned  to  the  house,  but  the  marriage 
feast  that  had  begun  so  joyfully,  was  ended  in 
sorrow.  A  family  council  was  held.  Miriam  and 


238  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Baptiste  were  for  carrying  their  troubles  to  the 
Little  King,  but  the  Jew  objected,  saying: 

"The  King  would  protect  us  if  he  could,  but 
the  mob  will  come  sooner  or  later.  M.  d'Emeri 
will  see  to  it  if  we  do  not  give  him  all  we 
have,  and  when  he  has  taken  all,  he  will  forsake 
us.  I  fear  the  Jews.  They  will  be  eager  to  win 
d'Emeri's  favor,  and  will  be  glad  to  ruin  me 
when  they  learn  that  it  will  please  him.  They 
hate  me,  because  I  have  never  been  one  of 
them,  and  will  take  this  marriage  as  an  excuse 
to  show  their  love  for  a  fellow  Jew." 

"But  the  Governor  of  the  Bastile  said  he  would 
send  gendarmes  to  protect  us  if  we  pay  him," 
said  Baptiste,  feeling  that  they  had  better  lose 
their  gold  than  their  lives.  "I  will  gladly  give 
all  I  have,  and  it  may  be  possible  that  you  can — . 
I  do  not  know  what  sum  you  would  be  willing 
to  pay." 

"All  the  gold  I  possess,  save,  perhaps,  a  thou- 
sand pistoles  which  I  have  here,  is  buried  in  the 
cellar  of  my  sister's  house  in  Toulouse.  But  if 
it  were  here,  I  should  not  be  able  to  give  this 
man  the  sum  he  demands.  Doubtless  the  Cardinal 


BLACKEST  MAGIC  239 

is  the  instigator  of  this  plan  to  ruin  us,  and 
ruin  may  as  well  come  now  as  a  few  days  later, 
for  come  it  will  swiftly  and  surely.  There  is 
but  one  hope  for  us — flight." 

"I  fear  you  are  right,  father,"  said  Baptiste, 
"but  where  shall  we  go?" 

"To  Toulouse,"  answered  Benoni.  "Thence,  if 
we  can,  to  Alexandria  or  Bagdad." 

"I  am  sure  you  are  right,  father,"  said  Bap- 
tiste, dolefully.  "We  must  prepare  to  go  at 
once.  It  is  now  an  hour  past  noon.  To-night 
may  be  too  late.  My  little  sum  of  gold  is  in 
my  shop.  I'll  take  it  and  abandon  all  else.  You 
collect  your  gold  and  jewels  and  let  us  start 
immediately." 

"Your  advice  is  good,  my  son,"  answered 
Benoni.  "Take  Miriam  and  your  gold  with  you, 
and  go  to  Monsieur  Breton's  shop.  My  wife 
and  I  will  follow  as  soon  as  I  consider  it  safe 
to  leave.  It  is  better  that  we  go  separately.  If 
we  try  to  keep  together,  we  shall  attract  atten- 
tion and  bring  on  our  troubles  before  we  can 
escape." 

So    Baptiste    and    Miriam    hurried    down    the 


240  THE  LITTLE  KING 

Rue  Saint  Antoine  to  Jean  Breton's  shop 
where  they  told  their  story  and  found  shel- 
ter. Jean  closed  his  shop  doors,  and  went 
at  once  ta  seek  Sweet  Mam'selle,  hoping 
through  her,  to  convey  to  the  King  intelligence 
of  what  d'Emeri  was  doing.  But  to  reach  the 
Palais  Royal  and  to  see  Sweet  Mam'selle  required 
so  much  time  that  the  sun  was  less  than  two 
hours  high  when  Jean  and  Sweet  Mam'selle,  hav- 
ing been  unable  to  obtain  speech  with  the  King, 
hurried  toward  La  Sainte  Croix  to  find  that  a 
mob  had  already  gathered  before  the  doors  of 
Baptiste's  shop. 

"Let  us  go  back  to  the  Palais  Royal  and  fetch 
the  King  himself,"  pleaded  Sweet  Mam'selle.  "I 
will  see  him  despite  them  all,  and  I  know  he 
will  come  with  me." 

Jean  doubted  the  wisdom  of  her  suggestion,  but 
yielded,  and  they  hurried  back  to  the  Palais 
Royal,  where  Sweet  Mam'selle  had  her  way  and 
found  the  King.  His  Majesty  was  persuaded  not 
to  go  out  on  the  street  while  a  mob  was  gather- 
ing, but  the  Cardinal,  at  the  King's  command, 
sent,  or  pretended  to  send  a  message  to  d'Emeri, 


BLACKEST  MAGIC  241 

ordering  him  to  proceed  at  once  to  Rue  Sainte 
Croix  with  a  sufficient  number  of  gendarmes  to 
disperse  the  mob. 

Jean  knew  that  his  effort  to  help  his  friends 
would  win  for  him  the  enmity  of  the  Cardinal, 
and  he  knew,  also,  that  the  Cardinal's  enmity 
meant  ruin. 

After  seeing  the  King,  Sweet  Mam'selle  and 
Jean  hurried  back  to  Rue  Sainte  Croix,  hoping, 
though  with  little  faith,  that  the  gendarmes 
ordered  by  the  Cardinal  had  driven  away  the 
mob.  But  the  crowd  was  larger  and  more  vicious 
than  when  they  had  left  it.  Jean  tried  to  force 
his  way  to  the  shop  door,  but  failed,  and  fell 
back  with  Sweet  Mam'selle  to  the  Rue  de  Bethisy, 
where  they  waited  anxiously,  though  with  little 
hope,  the  arrival  of  the  gendarmes.  As  they 
expected,  they  waited  in  vain. 

Just  as  the  night  darkened,  they  saw  the  mob 
begin  its  work  of  destruction.  Presently  they  noticed 
smoke  rising  from  Baptiste's  shop,  and  were  horrified 
to  see  gendarmes  dragging  Benoni  across  the  Rue 
de  Bethisy,  his  poor  wife  following  almost  bereft  of 
reason. 

16 


242 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


Jean  and  Sweet  Mam'selle  followed  the  gen- 
darmes and  the  Jew  till  they  were  well  away 
from  the  crowd.  For  a  moment  Jean  hoped  that 
the  gendarmes  had  rescued  Benoni  and  his  wife, 


but  he  soon  learned  that  he  was  wrong.  Turn- 
ing down  a  narrow  street,  the  captain  of  the 
gendarmes  tore  the  Jew's  clothing  from  him  and 
snatched  a  girdle  from  his  waist.  The  girdle 
burst  open,  and  in  the  light  of  the  flambeaus, 
Jean  and  Sweet  Mam'selle  saw  a  shower  of  gold 
fall  to  the  pavement.  Immediately  the  gendarmes 
fell  to  their  knees,  scrambling  for  the  money. 


BLACKEST  MAGIC  243 

When  it  was  collected,  one  of  the  men  rose  to 
his  feet,  and  with  an  oath,  struck  Benoni  a  cruel 
blow  with  his  halberd.  The  Jew  fell  to  the  pave- 
ment, and  his  wife  threw  herself  upon  him, 
clinging  to  his  lifeless  form.  A  blow  from  a 
halberd  killed  the  woman,  and  thus  in  less  time 
than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  the  curtain  came  down 
on  the  tragedy  of  La  Sainte  Croix.  When  the 
gendarmes  were  sure  they  had  collected  all  the  scat- 
tered gold  they  hurried  away,  leaving  Jean  and 
Sweet  Mam'selle  standing  beside  the  stricken 
forms  of  Benoni  and  his  wife,  murdered  by  Card- 
inal Mazarin,  who  was  waiting  in  the  Queen's 
parlor  to  receive  his  share  of  the  gold. 

It  would  have  been  useless  for  Jean  and  Sweet 
Mam'selle  to  remain,  so  they  hurriedly  returned 
to  Jean's  shop  to  give  what  help  they  could  to 
Miriam  and  Baptiste.  As  they  turned  to  leave 
the  Rue  de  Bethisy,  they  saw  that  the  fire  was 
spreading  throughout  the  entire  Rue  Sainte  Croix, 
and  were  glad  to  know  that  the  Jews  would 
suffer  at  least  a  part  of  the  ruin  they  had  brought 
on  their  brother. 

Jean   and   Sweet   Mam'selle   comforted   Baptiste 


244  THE  LITTLE  KING 

and  Miriam  as  well  as  they  could,  and  kept  them 
hidden  until  two  hours  after  midnight.  At  that 
hour  the  four  ventured  out  to  rescue  the  bodies  of 
Miriam's  father  and  mother.  But  they  were  not 
to  be  found.  The  ghouls  of  Paris  had  stolen 
them.  Miriam's  beautiful  home  was  a  smouldering 
ruin,  and  Rue  Sainte  Croix  was  but  a  name  of 
the  past. 

Now  the  story  is  nearly  told.  The  day  after 
the  tragedy  Jean  Breton  received  an  anonymous 
letter  informing  him  that  because  he  had  harbored 
the  Jew's  daughter,  he  would  soon  meet  the  Jew's 
fate  unless  a  certain  sum  of  gold  were  paid  for 
protection. 

Sweet  Mam'selle  knew  that  the  Little  King 
was  powerless  to  save  her  lover,  so  she  advised 
instant  flight.  Jean  thought  so  much  of  his  sweet* 
heart's  advice  that  he  immediately  sold  his  shop 
for  one-third  its  value,  and  converted  all  his 
possessions  into  gold.  On  the  same  afternoon, 
Sweet  Mam'selle,  Jean,  Miriam  and  Baptiste  left 
Paris  by  different  gates  and  met  at  an  agreed 
place  two  leagues  south  of  the  terrible  city.  There 


BLACKEST  MAGIC  245 

they  bought  horses  and  a  wagon,  and  journeyed 
south  to  Toulouse,  where  they  found  shelter  beneath 
the  roof  of  Benoni's  sister. 

Baptiste  and  Miriam  obtained  the  gold  which 
Benoni  had  said  was  buried  in  his  sister's  cellar, 
and  at  once  began  to  look  about  for  means  of 
escape  from  the  land  of  their  birth,  which  for 
them  had  come  to  be  a  land  of  tribulation. 

In  and  near  Toulouse,  there  had  been  for  years 
a  large  number  of  Huguenots.  Many  of  them, 
including  Baptiste's  father  and  mother,  had  suf- 
fered death  at  the  stake.  Others  lived  in  seclu- 
sion, though  always  in  great  danger,  but  by  far 
the  larger  number  conformed  outwardly  to  the 
demands  of  the  church,  while  cherishing  their 
beloved  religion  in  their  hearts. 

Baptiste  became  acquainted  with  a  Huguenot 
gentleman,  from  whom  he  learned  that  a  com- 
pany of  Huguenots  had  arranged  to  emigrate  to 
the  new  world,  and  that  a  ship  was  waiting  down 
in  the  Gironde,  near  Bordeaux,  to  take  them  to 
their  new  home.  If  their  project  were  discovered 
their  lives  would  be  lost;  therefore  the  gentleman 
pledged  Baptiste  to  secrecy.  The  voyagers  were 


246  THE  LITTLE  KING 

to  board  the  ship  at  night,  and  hoped  to  make 
sail  under  cover  of  darkness.  Then  ho,  for  libr 
erty  and  God's  blessing  in  the  new  world. 

Baptiste  and  Miriam  eagerly  joined  the  emi- 
grants, and  begged  their  friends  to  go  with  them. 
After  taking  a  day  or  two  in  which  to  consider 
so  important  a  step,  Sweet  Mam'selle  and  Jean 
paid  their  passage,  and  prepared  to  bid  farewell 
to  France  forever. 

Before  boarding  the  ship,  Sweet  Mam'selle 
found  means  of  sending  a  letter  to  her  friend, 
Madame  de  Motteville,  enclosing  one  to  the  Lit- 
tle King. 

The  Little  King  was  very  angry  when  he  hearo! 
of  the  disaster  that  had  befallen  his  friends,  and 
openly  charged  the  Cardinal  with  perfidy. 

"Wait  till  I  am  crowned!"  he  said  repeatedly, 
with  a  threatening  earnestness  that  caused  his 
Eminence  many  a  sleepless  night. 

One  day  Madame  de  Motteville  received  a  let- 
ter in  which  there  was  one  sealed  and  directed 
to  the  Little  King.  That  evening  he  was  lying 
on  a  couch  in  the  Queen's  parlor,  listless  and 


BLACKEST  MAGIC  247 

half  sick,  for  his  heart  was  sore  because  there 
was  no  Sweet  Mam'selle  to  comfort  him.  Mon- 
sieur, the  King's  brother,  was  playing  at  chess 
with  the  little  Duchess  de  Condi;  the  Cardinal, 
the  Queen,  the  Due  d'Orleans  and  several  ladies 
in  waiting  were  standing  about  the  room.  Dur- 
ing the  hum  of  conversation,  Madame  de  Motte- 
ville  entered,  made  her  obeisance  to  the  Queen 
and  the  Cardinal,  courtesied  to  the  King,  and  said: 
"I  have  a  letter  for  your  Majesty." 
The  King  sprang  to  his  feet,  exclaiming:  "It 
is  from  Sweet  Mam'selle !  I  know  it  is !" 

He  snatched   the   letter  and   read   it   hurriedly. 
Tears   came    to   his   eyes,    but   he   controlled   him- 
self and  turned  angrily  on  the   Cardinal,   saying: 
"You  will  listen,  M.  le  Cardinal,  while  I  read." 
Silence  immediately  fell  upon  the  room.     Then 
the    Little    King,    stammering   and    almost   choked 
by   emotion,   read  Sweet  Mam'selle's  letter: 

"MY  REVERED  AND  BELOVED  KlNG. 

I  am  leaving  France  forever,  and  my  heart  is  almost  broken 
because  I  must  part  from  you.  I  pray  the  good  God  that  the 
Cardinal  may  not  bring  sorrow  to  you  and  ruin  to  the  French 

feople  such  as  he  has  brought  to  those  who  are  dear  to  you. 
shall  love  you,  my  sweet  King,  all  the  days  of  my  life,  and  I 
pray  you,  for  the  sake  of  the  great  love  I  bear  you,  do  not 
forget  me. 

SWEET  MAM'SELLE." 


THE  LITTLE  KING 


The  King  stood,  holding  the  letter  for  a 
moment.  Tears  came  to  his  eyes,  but  he  did  not 
heed  them.  He  looked  steadily  at  the  Cardinal, 
and  when  he  spoke,  there  was  no  stammering, 
there  was  no  emotion,  there  was  no  childish 
softness;  what  he  said  rang  clear  as  clanking 

steel : 

"And  I'll  not  for- 
get her,  M.  le  Car- 
dinal! Nor  will  I 
forget  her  words  con- 
cerning you!  Never, 
never,  never,  so  long 
as  I  live! 

And     the     Cardinal 
slept  not  that  night. 

When  the  Little  King  had  finished  speaking, 
he  threw  himself  face  down  upon  the  couch  and 
wept.  Sweet  Mam'selle  was  gone,  and  from  that 
hour  to  the  day  of  his  death,  sixty-seven  long 
years  hence,  the  Little  King  was  alone  in  the 
world,  stranded  on  the  terrible  throne  of  terrible 
France.  Could  even  an  Infinite  God  mete  out 
to  man  a  more  awful  fate? 


BLACKEST  MAGIC  249 

As  it  was  with  Benoni,  so  it  came  to  pass  with 
the  French  people,  because  of  the  reign  of  the 
Cardinals. 


The  Bordeaux  ship  with  the  Little  King's 
friends  aboard  found  a  haven  on  one  of  the 
small  outlying  islands  of  the  West  Indies,  which 
seemed  to  have  been  placed  there  expressly  for 
their  sanctuary.  There  the  colonists  lived  happily 
and  left  a  numerous  progeny  whose  blood  still 
exists  in  the  Creole  population.  There,  Sweet 
Mam'selles  quite  as  charming  as  their  lovely 
ancestress,  are  met  at  every  turn,  while  Jeans  and 
Baptistes  bask  in  the  sun  or  sleep  in  the  shade, 
knowing  and  caring  nothing  about  the  troubles 
of  their  once  unhappy  forbears. 


Q0f)  1     """"''///////( 


